Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (left) will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman and Jack Gruber/USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network
Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed into a May 26 runoff after neither candidate won more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary election for the U.S. Senate.
Cornyn, who joined the U.S. Senate in 2003, is fighting for a fifth term in Washington. He faced Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, among other candidates, in his toughest primary battle to date.
Cornyn won 41.7% of votes to Paxton’s 41%, with 96% of polling places reporting, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office. Hunt, a Houston Republican, received 13.4%.
On the campaign trail, Cornyn relied on his decades of experience as he pitched himself to voters as the candidate with superior character and a conservative record. Paxton has said it’s time for new blood in Washington, casting Cornyn as part of the “swamp.”
The winner in May will face state Rep. James Talarico, who won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
When is the runoff for Texas’ U.S. Senate seat?
The runoff election for U.S. Senate and other offices where a single candidate didn’t get more than half of the votes is scheduled for May 26. In person early voting runs from May 18-22.
Can I vote in the runoff if I didn’t vote in March?
Voters who didn’t make it to the polls in March can vote in the May runoff.
Texans who voted in the primaries and want to vote again in May must vote in the same party’s runoff as they did in March. For example, a voter who cast a ballot in the Democratic primary could vote in the Democratic primary runoff, but not the Republican runoff.
Was a runoff expected?
Generally speaking — yes. With three competitive candidates on the ballot, it would have been a difficult feat for a single candidate to get more than half of the votes and avoid a second round of voting.
What should I watch for in the Texas GOP Senate runoff?
It’s been a contentious several months as the leading Senate candidates fought for their spot on the November ballot. Expect that to continue and even intensify in the runoff, as candidates make their case for why they’re the best person to represent Texans in Washington and take on the Democratic nominee in November.
It’s also worth watching to see if President Donald Trump weighs in, now that the race is narrowed down to two candidates. Cornyn, Paxton and Hunt all sought to link themselves to the president in the first round of voting, and while Trump was complimentary he didn’t endorse.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 9:53 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years.
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