U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who hadn’t previously endorsed in the race, said that Paxton has his “full support.”
“Ken is a fearless conservative who spent years taking on Texas’s toughest battles as Attorney General and has proven that he will always fight for and defend the Lone Star State,” Cruz said in a statement. “He will continue that fight in the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to fighting alongside him.”
He thanked Cornyn for his service, adding, “it’s time to unite to make sure that Texas stays Texas. James Talarico is radical, dangerous, and does not represent the values, ideas, or principles of the Lone Star State.”
Paxton, who has served three terms as the state’s attorney general, bested Cornyn, who has served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years. He will go on to face Democrat James Talarico, and Austin state representative, in the November election.
In a post on X, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who also hadn’t previously weighed in, congratulated Paxton “on the resounding victory.”
State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, blasted Paxton during the primary, but quickly pivoted to express his support Tuesday night.
“We Republicans must quickly heal and unite from these bruising primaries — and I promise to do my part to help make that happen,” he posted on X, promising to support every Republican on the ticket. “The Texas we know and love is worth it.”
Democrats celebrated Paxton’s win, too, seeing him as the weaker candidate to go up against Talarico in November.
“Ken Paxton has spent decades in office abusing his power to serve special interests and enrich himself at Texans’ expense – and in November, we’re going to put a stop to his corruption,” Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said in a statement.
Talarico appealed to moderates on Tuesday night in a social media post as he thanked Cornyn for his years of service and told his supporters “you have a place in our campaign.”
As of 9:30 p.m., President Donald Trump had yet to weigh in on the outcome. After promising to endorse for months, Trump finally jumped into the fray during early voting and backed Paxton.