Texas Republican Cornyn wins fourth term in U.S. Senate
Republican John Cornyn defeated Democrat challenger MJ Hegar in the race for U.S. Senate.
With roughly 68% of the vote tallied, Cornyn had nearly 53% to Hegar’s less than 45%. Libertarian Trey Holcomb had just over 3%
More than 51% of Tarrant County early voters had cast ballots for Cornyn, according to unofficial results updated just before 9:30 p.m. Hegar had brought in about 46% of the early votes.
In a statement, Hegar’s campaign said the relatively new politician faced many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and no statewide profile. Hegar celebrated a high voter turnout and diminishing Cornyn’s campaign fundraising.
“Together, we stood up and got to work, building a powerful grassroots campaign from the ground up, shattering voter turnout records, and most importantly sending a message to a previously safe Senator that he answers to us,” she said in the statement. “I am confident that the work we did will move our state forward for years to come.”
Cornyn maintained a close, often single digit lead over Hegar, a former Air Force pilot, in the polls leading up to Election Day. But Democrats saw the race as a chance to flip Texas, especially after Democrat Beto O’Rourke gave U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a tight race in 2018. The attention brought high spending, with Hegar raising $24 million compared to Cornyn’s $25 million, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Cornyn, speaking on a Zoom call with members of the media, said he welcomed the fight.
“It’s a fight for the soul of our nation and our state,” he said.
Cornyn, at a campaign stop in Fort Worth and in a series of attack ads, said Hegar was too liberal for Texas and remained confident Democratic spending would not win the race. He positioned himself as someone with senior leadership, necessary in an uncertain time.
Hegar, who ran for Texas’ 31st Congressional District in 2018, repeatedly criticized Cornyn, a three-term senator, for being out of touch with everyday Texans. She repeatedly accused him of downplaying the coronavirus pandemic.
Cornyn’s remarks to the Star-Telegram about private disagreements with President Trump made national news in October. Cornyn said he had broke with Trump over budget deficits, debt, tariffs, trade agreements and border security. He said he chose to work on those disagreements with the president’s staff in private discussions, rather than by publicly voicing his opposition.
Cornyn told reporters Tuesday that he found Trump to be accessible and felt he had been able to “move the needle” with president on several issues.
“I know while people are focused on maybe the different personalities,” he said. “I’m proud to work with this president.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:04 PM.
