Trump endorsement boosts Paxton in Texas Senate runoff

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Trump boosts Paxton in Texas runoff

Highlights

Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas GOP Senate primary runoff, energizing Paxton's campaign as early voting starts.
Supporters of Cornyn, including Senate Republican leadership and outside allies, have spent over $60 million defending his seat, but Paxton leads 48% to 45% in a recent poll.
Democratic nominee James Talarico raised over $27 million in Q1 and will face the Republican runoff winner, though Republicans remain favored after Trump won Texas by 14 points in 2024.

Runoff dynamics and late-campaign backing

As reported by CNBC, Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican Senate primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, giving Paxton a significant lift as early voting gets underway. The endorsement lands one week before the May 26 runoff and sharpens the contest between a candidate aligned closely with Trump and a longtime senator portraying himself as a reliable supporter of the president.

Paxton, a longtime Trump ally, is running against Cornyn, who has held the Senate seat since 2003 and is serving his fourth term. Early voting began Monday and continues through Friday as both campaigns intensify their final appeals to Republican voters.

In the closing stretch, Cornyn is emphasizing his record of support for Trump, saying Monday on X that he has a 99.3% voting record with the president. He is also relying on support from Senate Republican leadership and outside allies, which have spent more than $60 million to help defend his position.

Polling indicates the race remains extremely tight. A statewide survey shows Paxton ahead of Cornyn by 48% to 45% among likely runoff voters, a margin that is slightly outside the poll's margin of error.

November stakes for Texas and both parties

The Republican nominee emerging from the runoff is set to face Democratic nominee James Talarico in November. Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative, defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March Democratic primary and reported strong fundraising, including more than $27 million raised in the first quarter.

Republicans remain favored to keep the Texas Senate seat, but Democrats are pointing to the bruising Republican primary as a potential vulnerability heading into the general election. Trump won Texas by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024, underscoring the state's Republican advantage even as the current intraparty battle exposes tensions within the GOP.

JD Vance’s push to become a leading post-Trump figure has highlighted the ongoing scramble for influence inside the Republican Party. In our earlier article, we noted how Vance used high-profile outreach in Iowa and his fundraising leverage as RNC finance chair to deepen ties with donors and activists, even as other Republicans also jockeyed for advantage.

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Trump endorsement boosts Paxton in Texas Senate runoff

Highlights

Runoff dynamics and late-campaign backing

November stakes for Texas and both parties

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