Texas voters chose Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate on May 26, capping one of the nation’s most expensive intraparty battles ever and setting up a November election campaign against Democrat James Talarico.
As of 8:30 p.m. CDT, Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff with 62.9% of the vote to Cornyn’s 37.1%, with an estimated 54.08% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press, after a contest between Trump-aligned Republicans and their opponents in the GOP.
The race, which drew more than $100 million in spending, became one of the country’s most closely watched Senate primaries. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton in the final weeks of the contest, backing the attorney general’s effort to unseat Cornyn, a four-term senator and longtime Republican leader.
Cornyn campaigned on his experience in Washington and support for Trump’s agenda, while Paxton cast the senator as too closely tied to the Republican establishment while highlighting his own record as Texas attorney general.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. CDT, with early returns released shortly afterward.
Turnout in the runoff was lower than in the March primary, though several counties reported strong early voting. Texas voters also cast ballots May 26 in other races for Congress, statewide offices, and local positions.