Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn for U.S. Senate GOP nomination

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shakes hands with cheering supporters at his election night watch party in Plano after winning the Republican candidacy for U.S. Senate on May 26, 2026.

The attorney general’s victory is a crushing blow to the Texas GOP’s old guard, which has faltered in recent years against the Paxton-led insurgent wing.

The Texas Tribune