Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faced off against incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a tightly contested Republican primary on March 3, but ultimately both candidates fell short of securing 50% of the vote. Despite Cornyn’s confidence, Paxton emerged victorious in the runoff election, decisively defeating the four-term senator by a significant margin.
By 9 p.m. ET, with 49.1% of the votes counted, Paxton was ahead of Cornyn 62.5% to 37.5%, as reported by various news outlets. Cornyn’s campaign had invested heavily—over $24 million—into advertising, including efforts to sway Republican voters away from Paxton, which did not pan out as hoped, according to Texas Tribune.
In total, various pro-Cornyn groups spent tens of millions more, with the conservative super PAC Texans alone accounting for roughly $32.9 million in advertising expenses. Conversely, Paxton’s campaign only spent about $4.8 million. In an interview on election day, Paxton criticized Cornyn, saying that in 42 years, he hadn’t done much beneficial for Texas.
Paxton’s closing arguments targeted Cornyn’s record, accusing him of aligning with President Joe Biden on various issues, including gun rights and border policies. As Paxton pointed out, “That’s John Cornyn.”
In the final campaign push, Cornyn’s team sought to frame Paxton as an untested conservative, receiving backing from notable figures like former President George W. Bush. However, Trump did not seem to share this perspective, publicly endorsing Paxton as “a true MAGA warrior.” He praised Paxton’s resilience and the need for leaders who genuinely fight for the issues at hand.
Following his victory, Paxton will now compete against Democratic state Representative James Talarico, who has stirred controversy with his progressive stances, including on issues like abortion and gender identity.
