Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton easily defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff, delivering President Donald Trump another major victory in the GOP’s ongoing internal fight between establishment conservatives and the party’s MAGA wing. Newsmax and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Paxton about an hour after polls closed. With about 59% of the vote counted, Paxton was at 62.5% and Cornyn at 37.5%.
Paxton’s victory marked the latest example of Trump-backed challengers toppling longtime Republican officeholders, following the recent primary defeats of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Trump endorsed Paxton late in the contest and repeatedly framed the race as a referendum on the future direction of the Republican Party. Paxton embraced the president’s backing throughout the campaign, portraying Cornyn as part of an outdated GOP establishment disconnected from the party’s grassroots base.
