Trump endorses Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn ahead of Texas Republican Senate runoff

BREAKING NEWSUpdated now2026 Election2026 ElectionTrump endorses Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn ahead of Texas Republican Senate runoffPaxton, the state attorney general, finished just behind Cornyn in Texas’ March 3 primary. The winner is set to face Democrat James Talarico in the fall.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Ken Paxton on March 3, 2026, in Dallas.Sergio Flores / Getty Images filerShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 19, 2026, 12:35 PM EDT / Updated May 19, 2026, 12:42 PM EDTBy Bridget BowmanPresident Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate, dealing a massive political blow to longtime Sen. John Cornyn as he faces off against Paxton in an upcoming Republican primary runoff. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Cornyn and Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff after neither candidate won a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary, with the four-term senator narrowly ahead of Paxton, 42%-41%. The nominee will take on Democrat James Talarico in the fall.Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful one there is in a GOP primary, and the president’s decision to back Paxton could put an end to Cornyn’s long political career, marked by more than two decades in the Senate following stints as state attorney general, state Supreme Court justice and a district court judge. Trump’s endorsement, after early voting in the runoff began Monday, comes after weeks of speculation about whether the president would weigh in on the race. He had seemed ready to back Cornyn after the March primary, but he later tied his endorsement to passage of the SAVE America Act, a proposal overhauling the nation’s voting laws. Paxton said he would consider dropping out of the race if Senate leadership agreed to nix the 60-vote threshold to end debate on legislation, known as the filibuster, in order to pass the measure. Trump initially signaled that he wanted to avoid a divisive primary runoff...