Incumbent Republican John Cornyn: ‘Tonight we’ve come up short’
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.
Cornyn’s election night remarks come at the conclusion of a heated primary, in which the incumbent senator was fighting to win his fifth term in office. He was first elected in 2002. Before that he served as Texas attorney general and as a judge.
Reporters clustered in conference room at a downtown Austin hotel as they waited for results to come in. Cornyn didn’t hold an election night watch party with supporters, instead opting for a media availability to address reporters like he did in the first round of voting in March.
A few campaign signs speckled the cream walls of the room. Cornyn was flanked by a United States and Texas flag, with a blue backdrop bearing his campaign logo behind him.
That night, Cornyn had a narrow lead but didn’t win enough votes to advance to the November general election outright. This time, Paxton was poised for a blowout that will put him on the November ballot against Democrat
Cornyn’s campaign strategy included targeting Paxton for scandals that have loomed over his professional career and personal life. He has also said a Paxton victory would be detrimental to down ballot Republican candidates in November.
President Donald Trump waded into the race in the days leading up to Election Day, endorsing Paxton over his incumbent opponent, despite Senate Republicans pressing Trump to endorse Cornyn.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 8:21 PM.
