Skip to main content
8 min read

Trump endorses Ken Paxton in Senate GOP runoff

The endorsement was a setback for Cornyn, who argued that Republican voters should weigh the general-election stakes.

Trump endorses Ken Paxton in Senate GOP runoff
Image · Yahoo News

SOURCE CHECK

TAP FOR WHY
Host credibilityYahoo News76/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 6, 2026

Credibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.

Republished

Republished from Texas Tribune. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.

Texas Tribune80/100 HIGH

57 stories · 78–81 · updated Oct 7, 2026

This is Texas Tribune's own score, and this article is credited to Texas Tribune. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.

Yahoo Newsvia Texas Tribune
May 19, 2026
tl;dr

Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton in Texas’s Republican Senate runoff, a week before voting ends, giving Paxton a boost against Sen. John Cornyn. The endorsement renewed attention to the race’s stakes for Republicans and to Paxton’s support for the SAVE America Act and ending the Senate filibuster.

Community verdict

VOTING CLOSED
How does this story look for
John Cornyn R · TX · SEN
NOT RATEDCLOSED

No good or bad look here

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.

● INFORMATIONAL

People in this story

SWIPE →
John Cornyn
R · TX · SEN

Texas senator and Republican Senate candidate opposing Paxton in the runoff

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President who endorsed Paxton in the Republican Senate runoff

Trump's version of this story ↗
Ken Paxton
R · TX

Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate endorsed by Trump

Paxton's version of this story ↗

Democratic nominee for the Texas Senate seat in the general election

Thomas Massie
R · KY-4

Kentucky representative whom Trump is trying to remove from office

John Thune
R · SD · SEN

Senate majority leader who continued to support Cornyn

Bill Cassidy
R · LA · SEN

Louisiana senator mentioned as a prior target of Trump’s endorsement efforts

Wesley Hunt
R · TX-38

Texas representative and former Republican Senate primary candidate who endorsed Paxton

Part of a bigger story

96 OUTLETS
Trump Endorses Ken Paxton Over John Cornyn in Texas GOP Runoff

Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff ahead of the May 26 vote. Cornyn said he would continue in the race, a response reported alongside the endorsement. Left-leaning outlets frame the endorsement chiefly as a setback for Cornyn and a possible risk to Republican prospects, often emphasizing Paxton’s record. Center outlets focus on the effect on the runoff, Republican divisions and potential general-election stakes. Right-leaning outlets generally present the endorsement as a boost for Paxton, though some weigh the consequences for Cornyn or Republican prospects.

Discussion · 0

What's your take?

Loading comments…