Overview
- Media projections early May 27 showed Ken Paxton defeating Senator John Cornyn in the Republican runoff, which decides the party's Senate nominee for the November general election.
- Trump publicly endorsed Paxton in the days before the runoff and coverage attributes that late backing with shifting GOP voters toward Paxton.
- The primary was intensely costly and bruising, with AdImpact data cited by coverage putting total spending near $130 million and Cornyn and his allies spending about $23 million on attack ads.
- Paxton enters the November race as Texas attorney general since 2015 with a record of dozens of lawsuits against the federal government and a hardline platform on border security, DEI and transgender policies, and regulation of big tech and ESG.
- Republican leaders had favored Cornyn as a stronger general-election candidate, and analysts warn Paxton's nomination could make the November contest more competitive and force Republicans to shift resources and repair party unity.