Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during the Nasdaq Texas Closing Bell Ceremony held at The Alamo in San Antonio on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Wednesday that Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton must unite behind the winner of their runoff or risk handing the prize to Democrat James Talarico.
“I’m making this challenge today,” Patrick said. “John Cornyn, if you lose, you need to endorse Ken Paxton and get your voters to support Ken Paxton. And Ken Paxton, if you lose, you need to endorse John Cornyn and get your voters to support John Cornyn.”
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His blunt warning: “Get over it, and come together as one.”
If Republicans stay home in November, Patrick said, Talarico will win the general election for Senate.
His remarks came during a keynote speech at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Summit, a gathering of conservative leaders organized by the influential think tank.
It underscores the stakes of the increasingly personal and divisive May 26 runoff, with Cornyn and Paxton trading attacks that risk splintering Republican voters.
Patrick’s message reflects a broader concern among GOP leaders that even a small drop in turnout or lingering resentment from the losing side could open a path for Democrats, making a typically safe Republican seat more competitive.
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Patrick also warned that GOP divisions could extend beyond the Senate race and threaten Republican control of the Texas House.
“We’re going to have a tough time holding the Texas House,” he said, pointing to the potential for depressed turnout and lingering resentment among Republican voters.
Patrick cited January’s special election for a Tarrant County state Senate seat as evidence of what happens when Republicans don’t back their nominee after campaigning against each other.
Democrat Taylor Rehmet won the seat that had been held by Republicans for decades after Republican John Huffman did not endorse fellow Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the runoff.
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Rehmet’s victory was seen as a major upset in a legislative district that supported President Donald Trump by 17 percentage points in the 2024 election. Rehmet won it by 14 points.
Patrick predicted that Talarico, a state representative from Austin, won’t get more than 50% of the vote “unless Cornyn’s people or Paxton’s people decide to skip the race because they’re mad that their guy lost.”
Patrick pointed to other races as evidence of broader risk down the ballot.
He said Republicans could face a tougher fight to hold their majority in the Texas House, a shift that could derail key priorities in the 2027 legislative session. Patrick, who controls the state Senate agenda, wants to further cut property taxes and expand a program that helps parents pay for private school tuition with public funds.
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“Democrats are angry,” Patrick said, driven largely by opposition to Trump.
Patrick also said he believes state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, will be the next attorney general. Middleton faces U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin in the runoff.
Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Jim Jaworski are in a rematch for their party’s nomination.