Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a runoff election after neither secured enough votes to win the Texas Republican Senate primary outright. With about three-fourths of the votes counted, Cornyn held a lead of 43% to Paxton’s 41%. Rep. Wesley Hunt was eliminated with 13% of the GOP primary support.
Key Takeaways
Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will face off in a May runoff after neither secured enough votes to win the Texas Republican Senate primary outright. Meanwhile, Democrats Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico are in a close race for their party's nomination.
- Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton advance to runoff
- Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico in tight Democratic race
- Voting issues reported in Dallas County and Williamson County
- New congressional district boundaries drawn to favor Republicans
The runoff between Cornyn and Paxton will take place on May 26. The winner will face either Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett or Texas state Rep. James Talarico in November, a race that could determine whether Republicans maintain control of the US Senate.
Voting was extended in Dallas County and Williamson County after voters reported being turned away due to new primary rules. Paxton’s office challenged a decision keeping the polls open longer, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. should be separated from others.
The races also featured new congressional district boundaries drawn by GOP lawmakers to help elect more Republicans. Cornyn is hoping to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history not to be renominated, while Paxton has made national headlines for filing lawsuits against Democratic initiatives and remains popular despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges.
On Tuesday evening, a man wearing a camouflage hat, sunglasses, and a mask was detained by police outside the Uptown Marriott hotel in Dallas, where Paxton was expected to address supporters. Police removed ammunition magazines and shotgun shells from his vehicle, but it is unclear whether his presence was connected to Paxton’s event.
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