A Republican primary runoff in one of America's most conservative Texas districts saw a GOP strategist face a populist, MAGA-style challenger.
Four-term Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) lost renomination to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday in a GOP primary that became a referendum on loyalty to President Donald Trump. The Trump-backed Paxton received 62.5% of the votes compared to Cornyn’s 37.5% when the Associated Press called the race. The three-term attorney general will face off […]
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defeated Sen.
The 38-year-old Democrat’s victory in the newly drawn Houston-based district is the party’s latest sign of generational change.
After connecting his opponent to past criticism of President Trump, the conservative state senator now advances to the general election.
Some Republicans fretting about the upcoming midterms on social media could not seem to squeeze into a comfortable position Tuesday night after incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) lost his seat to Republican challenger Ken Paxton.MAGA faithful delighted in the news, with right-wing pundits like Nick Sorter crowing victory Tuesday night after results rolled in.“HEY THUNE: Texas is sending a MESSAGE to you. You could’ve avoided this ENTIRE PRIMARY and KEPT John Cornyn if you would’ve just passed the SAVE America Act,” Sorter said on X. “You snubbed us, thinking you could just BUY elections. YOU WERE WRONG. Voters are REBUKING you.”“The day of the RINO is over and the RINO's who are still in the Senate better take notice,” yowled MAGA influencer Bill Mitchell on X.“Go against President Trump and his America First agenda at your own peril,” said another. “The old Republican Party is dead. The voters are fully behind Trump, and opposing him is now a career-ender. Just ask John Cornyn, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Adam Kinzinger, and the rest of the never Trump losers who got primaried, booed off stage, or exiled into political oblivion.”“Paxton will face Democrat James Talarico in November, win that election, and begin representing Texas come January in the senate,” said right-wing radio host Clay Travis on X. But other, less jingoistic conservatives appeared to twitch their fingers at the news.“Dems will be happy to get Paxton with all his baggage,” said former Fox News sportswriter Robert Lusetich under Travis’ X post.“Paxton will win easily after Democrats spend over $100 million convincing themselves Talarico has a chance,” Travis posted directly beneath Lusetich — but Lusetich was unconvinced.“But think of the ads that $100m buys, Clay! 2023 impeachment by his own party in the Texas House + long-running securities fraud indictments + federal whistle-blower investigations + Trump lackey,” insisted Lusetich. “Key though is 15-20 percent of GOP in Texas are Bush Republicans & they're staying home.”Talarico himself was already courting bitter Cornyn voters on the night of his defeat, announcing on X: “I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for his years representing our state. We don’t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service. To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.”Dem strategists and influencers, meanwhile, were already out in force and thrilled with the news, with one declaring on X: “Congrats Ken Paxton for handing the Senate to Democrats in 2026.Another X Dem suggested: “Dems need to just run clips of Paxton being insane over and over and over again.”
The attorney general was boosted by President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the final days of the race.
Alex Mealer, a Trump-endorsed Army combat veteran and energy executive, defeated state Rep. Briscoe Cain in a Houston-based congressional runoff election.
The race will help determine whether Democrats can win back control of the US Senate for the last half of the Trump presidency.