Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn are reportedly headed to a May 26 runoff election after neither candidate secured enough support to win outright in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat, according to results available Tuesday night.
DecisionDesk projected the runoff around 10:25 p.m. ET, with Cornyn leading the field with approximately 43.2% of the vote, followed closely by Paxton at about 40.3%. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who also mounted a campaign for the seat, trailed the two frontrunners and sat in a distant third place as the results came in.
Under Texas election rules, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. With no candidate crossing that threshold, the top two vote-getters will face each other again in late May to determine the Republican nominee.
The contest has drawn significant attention in the Lone Star State and nationally, as Republicans battle for the chance to represent Texas in the Senate. While President Donald Trump has loomed large over Republican politics, none of the candidates managed to secure an exclusive endorsement from the president during the primary phase.
Instead, Trump signaled general support for all three candidates during remarks in mid-February.
“I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet. It’s got a ways to go, and I haven’t,” Trump said at the time. “[Cornyn’s] a good man. John is a good — I like all three of them, actually.”
The president continued by emphasizing that each of the candidates had supported him politically.
“They’ve all supported me. They’re all good and you’re supposed to pick one. So, we’ll see what happens. But I support all three.”
It remains uncertain whether Trump will choose to formally endorse either Cornyn or Paxton ahead of the runoff election.
In the final days before the primary, all three Republican candidates appeared together at an energy-focused event hosted by the president in Corpus Christi, Texas. The event underscored the importance of energy policy and economic issues in the campaign, particularly in a state where oil and gas remain central to the economy.
The election weekend, however, was overshadowed by a deadly shooting in Austin. Two people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured in an incident at a local bar. Authorities said the alleged shooter was wearing a hoodie bearing the phrase “Property of Allah” along with apparel displaying the Iranian flag.
Throughout the campaign, the Republican candidates engaged in a fierce and often personal contest for the nomination. Cornyn, Paxton, and Hunt traded sharp accusations while attempting to position themselves as the strongest champion of Trump’s agenda during the remainder of his second presidential term.
Criticism during the race focused on several fronts, including Cornyn’s political record in Washington, Paxton’s personal history, and Hunt’s attendance record in Congress. Each candidate sought to convince voters that he would be the best choice to advance conservative priorities and represent Texas in the Senate.
Once the Republican nominee is decided in the May runoff, the winner will advance to the general election in November. There, the GOP candidate will face the Democratic nominee, who will be either Rep. Jasmine Crockett or state Sen. James Talarico, depending on the outcome of the Democratic primary.
Sen. Ted Cruz has remained neutral throughout the Republican primary battle. However, his own recent electoral success offers insight into the political landscape in Texas. Cruz won reelection in 2024 with 53% of the vote against former Rep. Colin Allred, and he previously defeated former Rep. Beto O’Rourke in the closely watched 2018 Senate race.
Political analysts currently view the race as leaning toward Republicans. The Cook Political Report rates the general election as “Likely Republican,” while the Kalshi prediction market estimates the GOP’s chances of winning the seat at 60% as of Tuesday night.
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