Cornyn concedes; Paxton projected to defeat incumbent senator in GOP runoff
Republican Sen. John Cornyn conceded his runoff race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Tuesday night.
“Tonight we’ve come up short in this primary runoff,” Cornyn said.
He had just taken the podium and was still talking at about 8:15 p.m. Minutes before, news outlets projected that Paxton would defeat Cornyn.
Paxton has 62.8% of votes to Cornyn’s 37.2%, with 493 of 3153 polling locations reporting, according to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State’s office
By 7:50 p.m. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who didn’t endorse in the race, had seen enough and called the race for Paxton. Abbott congratulated the attorney general on his “resounding victory” in the runoff.
“Next, he will destroy Talarico and become the next US Senator from the state of Texas,” Abbott said.
Paxton supporters began to flood the risers behind the microphone at his election night watch party at 8 p.m. after seeing Fox call the race in Paxton’s favor.
The contentious primary came to a head on May 19, when President Donald Trump bucked Republican Senate leadership and endorsed Texas’ embattled attorney general.
At the time and in the days since, Trump has pointed to a lack of consistent support from Cornyn as a reason for the endorsement. Cornyn has been late to support Trump for president in the past, and called him an “albatross” for the party in 2016.
“Ken’s opponent was VERY disloyal to me, as President, and didn’t fight hard enough for the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Trump said in a Sunday post on Truth Social, referring to election legislation that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and photo ID when voting in federal elections.
In March, amid speculation that Trump was eyeing a Cornyn endorsement, Paxton tied his exit from the race to the bill’s passage in the Senate. Paxton has called election integrity his top priority while on the campaign trial.
Polls have generally put Paxton ahead in a close runoff, but more recent polls show Paxton widening the gap. Some saw Trump’s blessing as likely locking in a victory for the three-term attorney general.
Both candidates have sought to link themselves to the president. Paxton also focused on his conservative record as attorney general and cast Cornyn as an ineffective member of the Washington establishment who’s been in office for too long.
Cornyn, who is seeking his fifth term, has been on the attack in the months leading up to the May runoff. Looking ahead to the November general election, he’s pitched Paxton as a drag for down ballot GOP races and a boon for Democrats.
The winner on Tuesday faces state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, on Nov. 3.
He’s also blasted Paxton for controversies in his professional and personal life.
Paxton has faced allegations of infidelity during his public divorce from State Sen. Angela Paxton, a McKinney Republican. He’s been accused of using his office to benefit a political donor, allegations that were central to Paxton’s 2023 impeachment. Paxton was acquitted in a Senate trial.
Other issues that have cropped up during his tremulous political career include securities fraud charges that were dismissed in 2025. Much of Cornyn’s latest fire has focused on a Paxton’s office’s handling of a child sexual abuse case.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 7:09 PM.
