Overview
- Sen. John Cornyn led Attorney General Ken Paxton 41.9% to 40.7% in the primary, sending the Texas Republican U.S. Senate race to a May 26 runoff.
- Trump posted that he will endorse soon and said the candidate he does not back should drop out, prompting Paxton to say he would consider exiting only if Senate leaders lift the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act; Trump told Politico that stance was “bad for him.”
- Cornyn responded that he has supported the SAVE America Act and said he would back a “talking filibuster” to pass it into law, tagging Trump in his post.
- Cornyn signaled a hard‑hitting runoff, promising voters will learn more about what he called Paxton’s “indefensible personal behavior and failures in office.”
- AdImpact reports nearly $131 million in total ad spending, with just under $100 million on the GOP primary and more than $71 million boosting Cornyn versus just over $4 million for Paxton; Democrats have a nominee in state Rep. James Talarico, and some Republicans worry a Paxton nomination could endanger the seat.