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● InformationalElections / Campaigns

The Latest: Ken Paxton wins Senate primary runoff in Texas, defeats incumbent John Cornyn

John Cornyn lost the Republican Senate nomination to Ken Paxton after a costly, drawn-out runoff campaign.

The Latest: Ken Paxton wins Senate primary runoff in Texas, defeats incumbent John Cornyn
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This article1 analysis · Oct 6, 2026

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May 26, 2026
tl;dr

Ken Paxton defeated incumbent John Cornyn in Texas’s Republican Senate primary runoff, setting up a November race against Democrat James Talarico. The result also underscored President Donald Trump’s influence in Republican primaries, the Associated Press reports.

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John Cornyn R · TX · SEN
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This story reports what happened without casting Cornyn in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Cornyn’s record.

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John Cornyn
R · TX · SEN

four-term Texas senator and Republican incumbent defeated in the primary runoff

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Ken Paxton
R · TX

Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate who won the primary runoff

Paxton's version of this story ↗

Democratic state representative and Senate candidate who will face Paxton in November

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President who endorsed Paxton in the Republican runoff

Thomas Massie
R · KY-4

Kentucky representative who lost his primary

Bill Cassidy
R · LA · SEN

Louisiana senator whose primary ended without a runoff spot

Wesley Hunt
R · TX-38

Texas representative who finished third in the Senate primary

Julia Letlow
R · LA-5

Louisiana representative and Trump-backed Senate candidate

Republican House candidate who defeated Massie in a primary

ALSO MENTIONED  Angela Paxton, Texas state senator and Ken Paxton’s wife

Part of a bigger story

77 OUTLETS
Ken Paxton Wins Texas Republican Senate Runoff Over John Cornyn

Ken Paxton defeated incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff, securing the GOP nomination after President Donald Trump endorsed him. Paxton is set to face Democrat James Talarico in November. Left-leaning outlets frame the result as part of a shift toward Trump-aligned conservatives, with some highlighting Paxton’s controversies; center outlets emphasize the outcome, Trump’s influence and the November race; right-leaning outlets often cast it as a victory for the MAGA base over the GOP establishment.

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