Texas Primaries Set Stage for Competitive Senate and House Battles
In the Republican race for the US Senate nomination, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a decisive victory over four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn, winning 63.9% of the vote to Cornyn’s 36.1%. The contest unfolded in a politically charged environment, with US President Donald Trump backing Paxton in an effort to unseat Cornyn, whom he viewed as insufficiently aligned with him and the broader Republican agenda.
Trump formally endorsed Paxton shortly before the runoff, and the outcome marks a significant shift within Texas Republican politics. Cornyn becomes the first Republican senator from the state to lose a renomination bid. Previously, he had criticized Trump during the 2023 presidential campaign, stating that Trump's time "has passed him by." He had also opposed the former president’s initial push for a US–Mexico border wall, though he later expressed support for the project.
Following his defeat, Cornyn conceded and pledged party unity, stating:
"Tonight we’ve come up short," Cornyn said. "I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again."
Paxton will now advance to the general election, where he will face Democratic state Representative James Talarico.
In other Republican runoff contests, Alex Mealer won the nomination in Texas’ 9th Congressional District, defeating Briscoe Cain with 68.7% of the vote compared to 31.3%. Meanwhile, in the 35th Congressional District, Carlos De La Cruz prevailed over state Representative John Lujan with 57.7% support.
De La Cruz is set to compete in the November election against Democrat Johnny Garcia, who secured his own runoff victory with 60.5% of the vote against Maureen Galindo.
On the Democratic side, an unusual primary matchup emerged in the US House District 18 race following redistricting changes that merged two incumbents into a single district. In that contest, Representative Christian Dashaun Menefee defeated fellow incumbent Representative Al Green, winning 68.4% to 31.6%.
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