Trump-backed Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in Texas Senate primary

Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, May 26. Paxton secured the party's nomination with backing from President Donald Trump, advancing to face Democratic candidate James Talarico in the general election.

Cornyn conceded the race after more than four decades in public service and 18 consecutive campaign wins. "After a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins, tonight we've come up short in this primary runoff," Cornyn said at his election night event in Austin.

The race was described as massively expensive and carried wide implications for assessing Trump's political strength heading into the midterm elections. Paxton's victory demonstrated that a candidate facing scandal allegations could prevail in Texas with presidential endorsement, even against an entrenched incumbent.

Cornyn had attempted to avoid drawing Trump's direct opposition during the campaign. Despite his efforts to manage the relationship with the president, the senator ultimately lost to the Trump-backed challenger in the deeply Republican state.

Paxton took the stage at his primary runoff election night event in Plano, Texas, after securing the Republican nomination. The race between the two Republicans determined who would represent the party in the general election contest against Talarico.