By Armando Hernandez
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the second round of the Republican Senate primary on Tuesday and defeated veteran Senator John Cornyn.in a race that showed Donald Trump’s political control within the Republican Party and the divisions between the traditional conservative wing and the MAGA movement.
With victory, Paxton will become the Republican candidate to compete in November for one of the most watched seats in the country against Democratic state representative James Talarico, who has become one of the young figures with the greatest projection within the Democratic Party.
Trump celebrated Paxton’s victory and once again presented the result as proof of his influence on the Republican base. During the campaign, the president publicly endorsed the Texas prosecutor and repeatedly criticized Cornyn for acknowledging Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory and not supporting efforts to overturn the presidential results.
The race became one of the most expensive primaries of the 2026 election cycle. According to The Texas Tribune, groups allied with Cornyn and political action committees linked to the Republican establishment invested tens of millions of dollars in negative advertising against Paxton, while the attorney general consolidated the support of conservative voters identified with Trump’s agenda.
Paxton arrives politically strengthened despite years of legal and personal controversies. During his three terms as attorney general of Texas, he gained national notoriety for pursuing lawsuits against federal policies related to immigration, abortion, and health restrictions during the pandemic. and the results of the 2020 presidential election.
However, his political career has also been marked by investigations and scandals. In 2023, he was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, under accusations of corruption and abuse of power. He was eventually acquitted by the state Senate. In addition, Paxton faced an investigation for years for alleged securities fraud.
So, The November election against James Talarico seems to look like one of the closest races, where the Democrat will try to capitalize on the Republican wear and tear and the urban growth of the Texan electorate.
Additionally, the November election will be closely watched nationally due to the possibility of Texas becoming one of the most competitive states in the 2026 midterm elections.
Keep reading:
- ICE detains a man at a Texas polling station and sparks fear over migrant voting
- Texas Attorney General Settles in Felony Fraud Investigation, Avoids Trial
- James Talarico, Senate candidate for Texas, manages to raise $27 million dollars in three months
