Both potential GOP candidates have torn each other down, and are now equally competitive in the general election
Published
May 20, 2026 6:30AM (EDT)
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (L) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) (Illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Chitose Suzuki / The Dallas Morning News)
The Republican Senate primary runoff in Texas isn’t looking as high-stakes as it did at the start of the race two months ago, with the bruising primary leaving both Texas Republicans, Sen. John Cornyn and former Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a worse position than where they started. They’re also evenly matched against the Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico.
