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A heated U.S. Senate race in Texas has entered its critical final days, with candidates making their last appeals to voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary, which stands as the first major contest of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is fighting to avoid a historic defeat, as no Republican senator from Texas has ever lost a primary election. His main challengers include Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, both of whom have positioned themselves as more aligned with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.
“Complacency is a killer,” Cornyn warned supporters at a campaign stop Saturday at a seafood restaurant in The Woodlands, a Houston suburb. “It kills relationships. It kills careers.”
The race has drawn national attention, with Senate Republican leadership expressing concern that Democrats might have a chance to flip a long-held Republican seat if Paxton wins the primary. While popular with Trump’s base, Paxton has been dogged by years of legal problems that could make him vulnerable in a general election.
On the Democratic side, two main contenders have emerged in a party that hasn’t won a Senate race in Texas since 1988. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, known for her confrontational style and frequent criticism of former President Donald Trump, has emphasized her federal experience. Her campaign received a significant boost Friday with an endorsement from former Vice President Kamala Harris. Crockett spent the weekend meeting voters in the Dallas area alongside Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks.
Meanwhile, State Rep. James Talarico, who describes himself as a soft-spoken seminarian with crossover appeal to Republicans, held rallies in San Antonio as part of what his campaign calls a movement. Talarico has outraised Crockett and invested heavily in television advertising.
The Texas Senate race has shattered spending records for a primary election. According to ad-tracking firm AdImpact, over $110 million has been spent or reserved for advertising time, the most ever for a Senate primary. Talarico’s campaign alone has spent $13 million on television advertising just this year, making it the single biggest spender in the race.
The majority of overall spending—more than $67 million—has come from Cornyn’s campaign and allied groups, with much of it directed at attacking Paxton. Recently, these groups have also targeted Hunt to prevent him from advancing to a potential runoff.
The primary dynamics were further complicated by former President Donald Trump’s visit to Texas on Friday. Speaking at the Port of Corpus Christi, Trump acknowledged both Cornyn and Paxton but stopped short of making an endorsement, despite suggesting he has “pretty much” decided whom to support.
“We have a great attorney general, Ken Paxton. Where’s Ken? Hi, Ken,” Trump said before adding, “And we have a great senator, John Cornyn. Hi, John.” Noting the competition between them, Trump observed: “It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people.”
Paxton has strategically positioned himself as an anti-establishment candidate despite his long career in Texas politics. “I’m not going up to Washington, D.C., to join the swamp club,” he told supporters at a campaign event in Fort Worth. “I will go up there and fight for you.”
If no candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday, the primary will advance to a runoff between the top two vote-getters on May 26, extending what has already been one of the most expensive and contentious primaries in Texas history.
The outcome of this race could have significant implications for the balance of power in the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority and are working diligently to defend vulnerable seats across the country in the upcoming midterm elections.
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10 Comments
It will be fascinating to see if Cornyn can hold on or if the MAGA wing of the GOP manages to unseat him. Texas is a critical state, so the stakes are high.
The final days of a campaign are always intense. I hope the candidates focus on the issues that matter most to Texans and avoid getting too negative.
Agreed. Negative campaigning rarely wins over undecided voters. Substance and a positive vision for the state will be key.
With the 2026 midterms on the horizon, this Texas Senate race is an important early test. The outcome could set the tone for the broader national political landscape.
It’s been a long time since a Democrat won a Senate seat in Texas. This could be an opportunity for the party, but they’ll need a strong candidate to pull it off.
This race could have big implications for the balance of power in the Senate. I’ll be closely following the results on Tuesday.
I’m curious to see how much of a role Trump’s endorsement ends up playing in this race. His influence with the base is still strong, but Cornyn has a long record as a senator.
You raise a good point. Trump’s endorsement could be a double-edged sword – it may help in the primary but hurt in the general.
This Senate race in Texas looks like it will be a close and hard-fought battle. It will be interesting to see if the Republican base rallies behind the more conservative challengers or sticks with the incumbent Cornyn.
The legal troubles surrounding Paxton could definitely be a vulnerability for the GOP in the general election, if he wins the primary. Voters will be weighing electability and party loyalty.