Trump backs Paxton over Cornyn in bitter Texas Senate runoff

Donald Trump threw his weight behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, branding him a “true MAGA Warrior” and refusing to stand with Sen. John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent now fighting for his political life. The endorsement landed after early voting had already started in the Texas Republican runoff, turning an already bitter contest into a referendum on loyalty inside the party.

Cornyn and Paxton reached the runoff after neither cleared 50% in the March 3 GOP primary, where Cornyn led Paxton 42% to 41% in a crowded eight-candidate field that also included Rep. Wesley Hunt. The race moved to a runoff on Tuesday, May 26, with the winner set to face Democrat James Talarico in the November general election. Texas has about 19.9 million voting-age residents, making the outcome a major prize for both parties.

Trump’s move sharpened a split that has become unusual even by the standards of the modern Republican Party. Cornyn is one of only a few Republican senators running without Trump’s support, a sign of how far the party’s center of gravity has shifted toward open allegiance to the president and the movement around him. Trump said Cornyn was “not supportive” when he faced political trouble, a statement that framed the endorsement less as a policy judgment than a test of personal loyalty.

The stakes stretch well beyond Texas. Senate Republicans have privately and publicly warned that a Paxton victory could make the general election more expensive and harder to hold. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the race would likely cost more if Paxton won, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Trump’s endorsement “complicates” the party’s effort to keep its majority. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he learned of the endorsement from Trump’s Truth Social post after a phone call on Monday evening left him unsure what Trump would do.

Cornyn’s political trouble inside the GOP base has been building for years, especially after his support for the 2022 bipartisan gun-safety bill and his earlier comments questioning Trump’s political durability. That baggage gave Paxton a ready-made lane to cast himself as the loyalist in the race. Paxton said Trump’s backing rewarded loyalty and said he looked forward to championing Trump’s America First agenda in the Senate.

The Texas runoff also underscored how endorsements can reshape donor networks, media attention and the boundaries of dissent among Republican officeholders. With the filing deadline set for December 8, 2025, the primary held March 3, and the general election set for November 3, 2026, the race became one of the clearest tests yet of whether Trump’s influence in Texas, a state he won by 14 points in 2024, still decides the party’s future.