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Texas GOP Senate Primary Now a Three-Way Tie, Poll Finds

Texas rules requiring a majority make a May runoff likely if no candidate breaks 50 percent.

Overview

  • A J. L. Partners survey of 600 likely voters conducted Jan. 31–Feb. 2 shows Ken Paxton at 27.0%, Wesley Hunt at 25.7% and John Cornyn at 25.5%, with 21.7% undecided and a ±4-point margin of error.
  • Hunt leads head-to-head matchups against Paxton (44%–34%) and Cornyn (44%–33%) and posts the highest net favorability at 42%, compared with 27% for Paxton and 14% for Cornyn.
  • If Hunt exited the race, the poll indicates Paxton would hold a narrow edge over Cornyn, 41% to 40%, underscoring volatile second-choice dynamics.
  • Cornyn’s allies have already spent tens of millions of dollars and are planning roughly $10 million more in late advertising, yet the new polling shows the incumbent at risk of finishing third.
  • President Trump has not endorsed in the race, and Paxton’s Super PAC has begun targeting Hunt, as the March 3 primary sets up a likely May 26 runoff for the top two finishers.