Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is trying to hold on to a fifth term in Tuesday’s GOP primary, while Democrats will choose between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico for a November general election, where the party once again hopes it has a chance.
Cornyn faces a challenge from MAGA favorite Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in a contest expected to advance to a May runoff. The three Republicans campaigned on their ties to Trump, who has not endorsed in the race.
Crockett and Talarico each argue that they are the stronger general-election candidates in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024 and where a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in over 30 years.
A supporter of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, wears a Texas state flag in their hat during a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas.
Cornyn fights to hold seat
Cornyn is hoping to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history not to be renominated.
His cool relationship with Trump is part of what makes Cornyn vulnerable. He and allied groups have spent at least $64 million in television advertising alone since July to try stabilize his support.
Paxton began campaigning in earnest only last month. He’s made national headlines for filing lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He remained popular in Texas despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, of which he was acquitted, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife.
All three Republicans have run ads boasting of their coziness with Trump. But Senate GOP leaders, who are backing Cornyn, worry that Paxton’s liabilities would make it harder to defend the seat if he is the nominee – and require significant spending that could be better used elsewhere.
Hunt’s entry into the race in October made it trickier for any primary candidate to win at least 50%, the threshold needed to avoid a May 26 runoff.
Stylistic opposites vie for Democrats’ Senate nomination
Crockett and Talarico have waged a spirited race as Democrats look for their first Senate win in Texas since 1988.
Talarico, a seminarian who often references the Bible, has held rallies across the state, including in heavily Republican areas. Crockett has built a national profile for zinger attacks on Republicans and has focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas.
Tanu Sani, who cast a Democratic ballot in Dallas, said she’d been undecided until recently but opted for Talarico because he “really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify.”
Andrew Kern, another Democratic voter in Texas, explained his support of Talarico similarly, describing “an approach that’s bridging some of the divisiveness.”
Tomas Sanchez, a voter in Dallas County, said he supports Crockett because “she cares about immigrants, she cares about the American people in a way that a lot of the Republicans have proven they haven’t.”
Talarico had outspent Crockett on television advertising by more than four to one as of late February. He got a burst of attention – and campaign contributions – last month from CBS’ decision not to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled the interview for fear of angering Trump’s FCC.