Trump-Backed Paxton Faces Cornyn in Texas Senate Runoff on Tuesday

Texas Republicans choose their U.S. Senate nominee on Tuesday in a runoff between four-term Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, a contest Newsweek said is widely seen as a test of whether Republican voters favor establishment experience or a more populist approach, according to Newsweek and Al Jazeera. The runoff was triggered because neither man won a majority in the March primary, Newsweek reported.

Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Paxton last week, saying Mr. Cornyn was “late in backing me” in his latest presidential run, Newsweek reported. On Sunday, he called Mr. Paxton “a GREAT Attorney General” and said Mr. Cornyn was “VERY disloyal to me, as President,” according to Newsweek. Mr. Cornyn, 74, who has held the seat since 2002, rejects comparisons to Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who faced successful primary challenges after clashing with the president. He says he has been a Trump ally who backs the agenda while disagreeing case by case, and that Mr. Trump is impatient and frustrated with the Senate, Newsweek reported.

Mr. Cornyn has the backing of Senate leadership. Majority Leader John Thune calls him a “principled conservative,” and Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, James Lankford and Thom Tillis have also publicly supported him, Newsweek reported. Ms. Murkowski said she was “supremely disappointed” and feared Mr. Trump’s move put the seat “in jeopardy.” Newsweek described the runoff as the most expensive Senate primary runoff in U.S. history, with ad spending above $120 million, and said the final days are expected to focus on turnout in what is typically a lower-participation runoff.

The argument at the center of the race is electability. Mr. Cornyn contends that nominating Mr. Paxton, 63, who has faced legal and ethical scrutiny, could put a normally safe Republican seat at risk, Newsweek reported. Al Jazeera reported that critics cite allegations about Mr. Paxton’s conduct and his ties to Nate Paul, a disgraced investor, and that Republican state Rep. Matt Shaheen has argued Mr. Paxton “would be toast against Talarico.” Mr. Paxton supported Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, Newsweek noted. Newsweek described Mr. Paxton as a Trump-aligned challenger known for a confrontational style.

The Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, 37, won the March primary with 52 percent, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Al Jazeera reported. Democrats have not won a Texas statewide office since 1994. Al Jazeera noted that Sen. Ted Cruz won by about 9 points in 2024 after winning by 2.6 points in 2018, and that independents, who often lean Republican in Texas, could decide the general election. A Democratic win in the state would move the party closer to flipping the Senate, the outlet said. Texas is one of several states, with Maine and North Carolina, where Republicans could lose key seats, according to Al Jazeera.

Massie, who opposed the Iran war and pushed for transparency on the Epstein files, and Mr. Cassidy, who voted to convict Mr. Trump in his second impeachment trial, both lost their primaries after Mr. Trump attacked them, Newsweek reported. The Texas result will show whether Republican voters side with a sitting senator’s seniority and the party leadership’s support or with the president’s pick.