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● InformationalElections / Campaigns

Who's running in the Texas Republican primary? Here are the candidates

Paxton is presented as Cornyn’s chief challenger, with support among Trump-aligned voters and controversies in his record.

Who's running in the Texas Republican primary? Here are the candidates
Image · Yahoo News

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Host credibilityYahoo News74/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 9, 2026

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

Republished with credit

Republished from USA Today, with credit to the original publisher.

USA Today80/100 HIGH

21 stories · 79–81 · updated Oct 11, 2026

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

Yahoo Newsvia USA Today
Mar 3, 2026
tl;dr

The article profiles John Cornyn, Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt as contenders in Texas’s Republican Senate primary, describing their appeal to different parts of the party. It says a runoff was expected and that the race could signal the direction of Republican voters ahead of the midterms.

Community verdict

VOTING CLOSED
How does this story look for
Ken Paxton R · TX
NOT RATEDCLOSED

No good or bad look here

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

● INFORMATIONAL

People in this story

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Ken Paxton
R · TX

Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate

PRIMARY SUBJECT
John Cornyn
R · TX · SEN

Incumbent senator and Republican primary contender

Cornyn's version of this story ↗
Wesley Hunt
R · TX-38

U.S. representative and Republican Senate candidate

Hunt's version of this story ↗

Texas representative and Democratic Senate primary candidate

U.S. representative and Democratic Senate primary candidate

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President whose support is discussed as a factor in the Republican primary

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

Part of a bigger story

12 OUTLETS
Ken Paxton Challenges John Cornyn in Texas Senate Primary

The Texas Republican Senate primary featured Ken Paxton, John Cornyn and Wesley Hunt; accounts described Paxton as narrowly ahead in polls, with a runoff possible. Left-leaning outlets emphasize how a Paxton nomination could make the general-election race more competitive for Democrats. Center outlets mostly present the contest as a close Republican primary, stressing candidate appeal, party divisions and possible consequences for November.

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