Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton toppled four-term US Senator John Cornyn, riding President Donald Trump’s endorsement to a runoff victory for the Republican Senate nomination, US media projected.
The race was called shortly after polls closed in Texas’ westernmost counties, which are in a separate time zone from most of the state.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, I will be the Democrats’ No 1 target in November,” Paxton said in his victory speech. “Texas will be the radical left’s No 1 priority, but ... we’re not going to let them take it.”
Paxton’s win will force Cornyn into retirement early next year – and the Republican political establishment in Washington into embracing a candidate it has long opposed.
Cornyn, 74, was backed by Republican leadership in the fight of his political life against Paxton, a 63-year-old, scandal-plagued attorney general who won Trump’s endorsement last week.
Paxton will face Democratic state Representative James Talarico in a high-profile race that could help decide control of the Senate and may become one of the most expensive in US history.
The 37-year-old Democrat is a Presbyterian seminarian and leading fundraiser whose campaign has appealed to independent and moderate voters.
Paxton’s supporters quickly attacked his past comments about a nonbinary God and six biological sexes, with Paxton and the Republican National Committee chairman calling him “Tala-freak-o.”
Senate Republicans’ campaign arm warned in an internal memo last year that a Paxton nomination “would hand Democrats an opening to flip Texas and cause Republicans to divert hundreds of millions of dollars that would otherwise be spent winning key battlegrounds.”
Trump congratulated Paxton in a social media post and promised to hold ‘some nice, big, beautiful rallies’ for him, writing: ‘Texas, this will be FUN!’
Cornyn told supporters he will back the Republican ticket in November.
“I’ve said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they made their decision, and I must respect it,” he said in his concession speech.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate over Democrats, who would need to net four seats in November’s election to take control of the chamber.
Democrats are on defence in two states Trump won in 2024 – Georgia and Michigan – but could win the chamber by holding those two seats and flipping North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska.
A competitive race in Texas, where no Democrat has won statewide since 1994, would expand the party’s path to a majority and potentially force Republicans to redirect investments from more competitive battlegrounds to protect their nominee in a state that Trump carried by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024.
In backing Paxton, Trump chose loyalty over electability as he continues to flex his iron grip over Republican voters.
This month, Trump’s endorsement of Republican primary challengers ousted incumbents including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas House, indicted for felony fraud, reported to the FBI by his top aides and is being divorced by his wife on biblical grounds, though he has denied any wrongdoing.
In a joint statement, Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said, ‘Republicans are facing their nightmare scenario’ while Democrats move closer to winning the majority.
Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, said Paxton’s win was a loss for Washington Republicans.
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