FILE – This photo combination shows Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, in Dallas and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in Austin, Texas, both on March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, Jack Myer)
Julio Cortez Jack Myer/AP
After his narrow first-round win over Attorney General Ken Paxton, Sen. John Cornyn was poised for a knockout.
He was angling for an endorsement from President Donald Trump, a move that would have put the incumbent in better stead with MAGA voters before the May 26 Republican Senate runoff.
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After the March 3 primary, Trump said he would endorse a Senate candidate and the other one should drop out.
But Paxton landed a punch out of nowhere. He said he’d consider stepping aside if the Senate approved the SAVE America Act, a Trump-backed bill that imposes strict voter registration rules.
With passage unlikely, that gave Paxton cover to stay in. Trump leaned into the pressure, urging Republicans to bypass the filibuster, a rule that can block bills without broad support, and still hasn’t endorsed.
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The delay gave Paxton more time to make his case and seek Trump’s support, including a trip to Mar-a-Lago for a Palm Beach County GOP dinner where he was seen speaking with the president.
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Vinny Minchillo, a Plano-based Republican consultant who has worked on Trump’s presidential campaigns, said he was surprised Trump has stayed neutral.
“Typically when the president says he’s going to do something, he does something,” Minchillo said.
He said if Trump doesn’t endorse Cornyn, “it’s advantage Paxton.”
With Trump on the sidelines, Paxton doesn’t have to worry about a fractured base. And in a low-turnout runoff, the most fervent Republicans are likely to decide the race.
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“Paxton’s voters are more enthusiastic and will come out again to the polls, no matter what,” Minchillo said.
Still, Cornyn can’t be counted out.
The Republican Party is broader than MAGA activists, and his first-place finish in the March 3 primary proves he has significant support, possibly more than Paxton.
Cornyn has continued to spotlight Paxton’s perceived political liabilities, including his 2023 GOP-led impeachment, which ended in acquittal. Paxton also is facing a highly publicized divorce amid allegations of an extramarital affair, which he has denied.
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Paxton feels confident that the party’s core conservatives are in his corner and they will show up for the runoff at a greater clip than Cornyn’s backers.
Voters who supported U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in the primary also are up for grabs, a potential difference-maker. Hunt has not endorsed anyone in the runoff.
Here’s a quick look at the other key runoffs, including a Dallas-area U.S. House race and the Texas attorney general contest.
The 33rd Congressional District
Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas and Rep. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch are vying to represent the newly redrawn district.
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Allred had a nearly 11-point win in the March 3 Democratic primary but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Since then he’s picked up endorsements from the other candidates, activist Carlos Quintanilla and former tech executive Zeeshan Hafeez.
Allred is working to turn out the same coalition, while Johnson is trying to expand her base and blunt her rival’s momentum.
This combination of photos shows Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, being sworn in on Jan. 3, 2025, in Washington, left, and Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, speaking on Nov. 5, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Tony Gutierrez)
Jacquelyn Martin, Tony Gutierrez/AP
Texas attorney general
Both parties have competitive runoffs to replace Paxton for an office that wields outsized influence over national policy. It enforces child support laws, protects consumers, defends the state in lawsuits and provides legal guidance to state agencies.
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On the Republican side, state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Houston finished comfortably ahead of U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin.
Middleton, who brands himself “MAGA Mayes,” is courting Trump-aligned voters and the party’s most conservative flank.
The oil and gas executive has poured significant personal money into the race, using his wealth to build name recognition and cast himself as the clearest ideological match for Trump.
Middleton cited his legislative record pushing conservative priorities, including a law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools. He has cast Roy as insufficiently loyal to Trump after past clashes.
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Texas AG Runoff Candidate Senator Mayes Middleton speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center in Grapevine.
Shafkat Anowar/Staff Photographer
Roy defended his breaks with Trump as mere disagreements and said his record closely tracks the president’s. He has said Middleton lacks legal experience to serve as attorney general.
Roy, who previously served as first assistant attorney general and as chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, also has touted his legal background and ties to conservative leadership to argue he is better prepared to run the office.
The Democratic contest features state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.
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Johnson came close to clearing the majority threshold in March, setting him up as the party’s frontrunner heading into the runoff. Democrats have been shut out as attorney general for more than 30 years.
He has emphasized consumer protection and taking on corporate abuses, saying the attorney general’s office should focus less on partisan lawsuits and more on everyday enforcement that affects Texans.
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Johnson has cited his legislative experience and viability in the November general election, while criticizing Jaworski as a repeat statewide candidate who has fallen short before.
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Jaworski, who ran for attorney general in 2022, has branded Johnson as too moderate, calling him “MAGA’s favorite Democrat.”
Jaworski said he wants to restore ethics and independence to the office, pledging to steer it away from political fights and toward what he calls evenhanded enforcement of the law.