The May runoff election pitted Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico.
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Published March 4, 2026
James Talarico defeated state Rep. Jasmine Crockett in an expensive and highly contested Senate Democratic primary in Texas.
Who Talarico will run against will be determined by a May runoff between longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton, a race that is expected to become increasingly tense in the coming months and could hinge on whether President Donald Trump announces his support.
Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, began midterm elections on Tuesday to contest control of Congress against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
An elated Talarico told Austin supporters before the race was called, “We’re not just trying to win elections. We’re trying to fundamentally change politics, and it’s working. We’re trying to win elections.”
“This is proof that something is going on in Texas,” he said, adding that the state “has given this country a little bit of hope.”
Crockett’s campaign said he plans to sue over voting issues in Dallas and warned that “people are being disenfranchised” in brief remarks Tuesday night.
Republicans move on to the second round
Meanwhile, Mr. Cornyn is seeking a fifth term, but faces a tough challenge from Mr. Paxton, the state attorney general. Cornyn wants to avoid being the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek re-election while not being renominated.
Congressman Wesley Hunt also received attention in the Republican race, finishing in a close third place and conceding. But his three-way campaign has made it more difficult for any candidate to win the nomination outright and reach the 50% vote share needed to avoid a May 26 runoff.
All three campaigned by appealing to their ties to President Trump, but President Trump did not express his support during the campaign. Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Paxton will once again be in a fierce competition for the president’s support.
Cornyn was facing such a tough battle that he didn’t hold an election night party. Instead, in comments to reporters in Austin, he sought to make the case that Paxton’s runoff victory would leave “a top priority for the Republican Party.”
“I have worked for decades to build the Republican Party here in Texas and across the country,” Cornyn said. “I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton to jeopardize everything we have worked so hard to build over the years.”
Addressing supporters in Dallas, Paxton said he felt similar to a recent visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.
He also declared: “We proved in Washington they would never understand.
“Texas is not for sale,” he said.
