WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) – Incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are expected to win more than 50% of the vote in the Republican primary, so they are heading to runoff elections, NBC reported.
Cornyn leads Texas’ three-way Senate primary, with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunter trailing in third place.
Cornyn and Paxton will now face off in a May 26 runoff election.
Cornyn allies, backed by Senate Republican leadership, spent more than $60 million to support the incumbent in defeating Paxton.
Republican primary voters tend to be more conservative, which works to Paxton’s advantage and could help him defeat Cornyn in the runoff. Cornyn argued, however, that Paxton’s history of scandal makes him vulnerable when he faces Democratic candidates in November and could cost Republicans a safe Senate seat.
In 2024, Trump won Texas by nearly 14 points but refused to endorse any candidate. It’s unclear whether he will endorse someone before the runoff.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; Editing by Ross Colvin and Deepa Babington)
