Updated 8:02 p.m. May 26
With 176 Texas counties reporting some election results, state Attorney General Ken Paxton held a steady lead over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate.
Paxton, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump one week earlier, had 62.96% of the vote about one hour after the polls closed, while Cornyn had 37.04% of the vote.
Posted 7:36 p.m. May 26
Polls across Texas closed at 7 p.m. in the May 26 runoff election, ending a contentious, monthslong primary battle between Sen. John Cornyn and his Republican challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn and Paxton competed in the May 26 overtime round after no candidate secured enough votes to win an eight-way March primary outright.
The background
Cornyn, the incumbent, is fighting to add another six-year term to his nearly 24 years representing Texas in the U.S. Senate. Paxton, who survived an impeachment in 2023 and has spent more than 23 years in various state offices, aims to unseat Cornyn.
President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton in a social media post one week earlier.
Each candidate has emphasized their loyalty to and alignment with Trump in recent appeals to voters. Read their priorities, in their own words, here.
The winning Republican candidate will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate—state Rep. James Talarico of Austin—in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Keep reading to see who is leading based on unofficial early results.
What’s happening
With 55 of Texas’ 254 counties reporting early voting results, Paxton took an initial lead over Cornyn. As of press time, Paxton had 57.98% of the early vote, and Cornyn had 42.02%.
Each state has two U.S. senators serving staggered six-year terms—Cornyn currently serves alongside Republican Ted Cruz.
What’s next
Community Impact will update this article as election day vote totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide to see results from all local and state runoffs in your community.