Trump endorses Paxton over Cornyn in Texas Senate runoff. Here's what to know

President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff Tuesday, upending one of the state’s most closely watched primary races. The winner of the May 26 runoff will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November.

Here are key takeaways:

• Trump endorsed Paxton on Truth Social Tuesday, saying Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough” and was “very late” in backing his presidential run.
• Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the May 26 runoff after neither candidate won a majority of votes in the March 3 primary, with the winner facing Democrat James Talarico on Nov. 3, according to Star-Telegram reporter Eleanor Dearman.
• A recent Texas Southern University poll showed Cornyn leading Talarico just 45%-44% while Paxton was tied with Talarico at 44%. Cornyn has warned that Republicans could lose downballot races if Paxton becomes the nominee.
• At an April Grapevine Republican Club meeting, Paxton told attendees Cornyn “is not a Trump guy” and rarely campaigns in Texas, while Cornyn’s campaign countered that the senator has voted with Trump 99.3% of the time and would have numerous events in the coming month.
• Paxton said in March he would consider dropping out if the Senate passed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote — a maneuver analysts said created leverage that helped delay a Trump endorsement for months.
• Senate leadership hadvurged Trump to back Cornyn to protect the GOP Senate majority, but Trump sided with Paxton despite those pleas, as the Star-Telegram reported.
• Opinion: Star-Telegram columnist Ryan Rusak wrote that the endorsement effectively ends Cornyn’s career as a Texas Republican titan, arguing Paxton “attached himself to Trump in every way possible” while runoffs favor base voters most loyal to candidates like Paxton.
• Top Texas Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have stayed out of the runoff. Hunt endorsed Paxton, following Trump’s endorsement.
• Early voting began May 18 and runs through May 22 ahead of the May 26 runoff, with Tarrant County offering 37 early-voting locations for any voter who did not cast a ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.