Texas Republicans are gearing up for a bruising May 26 U.S. Senate runoff between Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent John Cornyn after neither won a majority in Tuesday’s primary, setting up another three months of bitter infighting.
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Cornyn narrowly led Paxton Wednesday morning with 41.9 percent of the vote to Paxton’s 41.7 percent. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished a distant third with just 13.5 percent. Hunt, a second-term Houston congressman, entered the race in October but was squeezed by heavy spending from groups tied to both rivals and now exits after giving up his House seat.
The close result signals an even nastier fight ahead in a contest already defined by attack ads and personal animosity. Cornyn has cast his early lead as proof he can withstand the biggest challenge yet of his long dominance in Texas GOP politics, while Paxton declared himself the party’s eventual nominee and urged Republicans to unite.
The winner will face Democrat nominee James Talarico, who claimed victory over Representative Jasmine Crockett in a hotly contested primary election.
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