The intense Republican primary runoff election for a US Senate seat from Texas comes to an end today. The showdown between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has become one the most expensive in Senate history. Joe Lovinger reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Retiring Rep. Chip Roy is competing against state Sen. Mayes Middleton in Tuesday’s GOP runoff to succeed state Attorney General Ken Paxton. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats Joe Jaworski, the former Galveston mayor, and Nathan Johnson, a state senator, are seeking their party’s nod to advance to the November general election. Polls close at 8 p.m. EDT.…
Trump-backed Paxton is facing off against incumbent Cornyn in a runoff.
Texas Republicans headed to the polls Tuesday in a make-or-break Senate runoff — and for at least one voter, President Donald Trump's endorsement didn't seal the deal. It backfired.CNN caught up with two Republican voters outside a Plano polling location on Election Day, and their reactions to Trump's last-minute backing of Attorney General Ken Paxton told two very different stories about the state of the GOP.The first voter said Trump's endorsement was the deciding factor — pushing him away from Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and toward Paxton. "I was torn because I was gonna go with Cornyn," he said. "But when Trump backed [Paxton] — I like who he backs."The second voter went the other way entirely."I made one vote, and that was for Cornyn," he told CNN's Arlette Saenz. "Primarily because he's not supported by Trump."When Saenz pressed him, he didn't mince words. "I think he's ruined my Republican party," he said of Trump. "I think he's divided America. I think he's bad news. And I still lean Republican, so I voted for Cornyn."NOTUS White House reporter Jasmine Wright, appearing on CNN, said the exchange captured a split that's playing out statewide. "You're literally seeing the 80-20, 70-30 split that we see represented in polling," she said, adding that the White House is banking on the majority holding. "This question that we continue to ask — whether or not Trump still holds a vice grip on the Republican Party — continues to show us yes, yes, and yes."Trump amplified that grip Tuesday morning, resharing a post urging Texans to "Get the RINOs out now" while calling Paxton the country's best attorney general.Cornyn, meanwhile, made his closing argument on Fox News, hammering Paxton's scandal-ridden record. "Texans have learned that you can't trust what Paxton says," he said, citing Paxton's impeachment by a Republican-led House and a $6.6 million whistleblower judgment against him.The winner faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
The race between Senator John Cornyn and his right-wing rival, Ken Paxton, has cost mountains of cash. More of it has gone to help Mr. Cornyn — but that money may not be enough.
Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo avoided answering a direct question about President Donald Trump's tariff policies and their impact on the tourism-reliant state during a recent interview.Lombardo spoke to 2 News Nevada in an exclusive interview last week and appeared visibly uncomfortable with denouncing Trump's tariffs, which have led to a tourism crisis in the state that heavily depends on travelers, especially in cities like Las Vegas. The loss of global tourism has hit the state's economy and become a serious concern among Nevada lawmakers ahead of the midterm elections this fall, according to Politico.But Lombardo apparently did not have a strong stance on the topic, 2 News Nevada reported."I don't know all the nuances of foreign policy associated with that and the tariffs and how it directly affects Nevada, but me as the governor of the state of Nevada, I'm concerned about Nevada," Lombardo said.In February, Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine said that Trump's tariffs have cost the state $2.1 billion and Conine has demanded that the administration pay the state for costs incurred as a result of the president's policy, KOLO 8 News Now reported.Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo punts on whether he supports Trump's tariffs: "I don't know all the nuances of foreign policy associated with that and tariffs and how it directly affects, uh, Nevada." pic.twitter.com/FoNDtJUd6D— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 26, 2026
In a blow to President Donald Trump's demands for all GOP-controlled states to redraw their congressional maps to give themselves extra seats, a majority of the South Carolina Senate effectively voted to pull the plug on redistricting for now, with a handful of Republican lawmakers begrudgingly admitting Democrats had successfully run out the clock and they couldn't change the maps because primary voting was already underway.South Carolina Republicans could revisit the gerrymandering attempt, but the upshot is that, for now, the state's sole Democratic congressman, longtime powerbroker Rep. Jim Clyburn, will be able to secure another term in office. And both the White House and MAGA influencers are furious about it.“We knew it was bumpy all along, never a guarantee. But the votes were there on the last vote and nothing changed," said one White House official, adding that South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who had supported Trump's efforts to draw out the state's one majority-Black district, didn't give any warning that the vote was about to fail.Meanwhile, pro-Trump commenters on social media lashed out at the state lawmakers, accusing them of betrayal."This was the slimmest House majority in American history, a chance to protect President Trump’s agenda, and a generational opportunity to give 1 million South Carolinians a vote that finally counts. It was sitting right there. All it required was holding the line 1 more time. They didn’t," raged Big Dog Strategies senior vice president Justin Evans, naming all the GOP state lawmakers who voted against the gerrymander. "We will remember who showed up, and we will remember who walked away.""South Carolina Redistricting likely DEAD! Vital cloture vote to limit debate and force a vote in the SC Senate FAILS 20-24," wrote South Carolina Freedom Caucus founding chair and right-wing talk radio host Adam Morgan, who also named all the lawmakers. "Citing Democrats’ argument that 'early voting began today so it’s too late.' Looks like it was all a setup.""This is why RINOs CAN NEVER BE TRUSTED — no matter WHAT they say," wrote MAGA influencer Nick Sortor. "Another reason people like [Texas Sen. John] Cornyn MUST GO. RINOs said they can no longer move forward with redistricting because early voting started today. They KNEW it was starting today, but dragged their feet. They could've finished redistricting LAST WEEK. NEVER TRUST A RINO! They NEVER change."
The Hill presents one and a half hours of live, real-time primary night coverage, diving deep into the 2026 Texas runoff elections Tuesday from 8-9:30 p.m. EDT. The Hill’s coverage will be anchored by “Sunrise on The Hill’s” Cory Smith, joined by The Hill Sunday host and political editor Chris Stirewalt, with further contributions from “Rising”…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton (R), on Tuesday shared her endorsements for various candidates in state races but remained neutral in the Republican Senate primary. Angela Paxton urged Texan voters on election day to join her in voting for Mayes Middleton, a state Senate colleague of hers and…