Polls showed Paxton with nearly 30% more votes than incumbent Sen. John Cornyn as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
TEXAS, USA — The race in the Republican Senate primary runoff has been called — and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be the Republican nominee for the November senate race against state Rep. James Talarico.
Polls showed Paxton with nearly 30% more votes than incumbent Cornyn as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. Cornyn is now the first Republican senator in Texas to lose his party’s nomination for reelection.
Quickly after his victory, political allies, opponents and others have issued statements congratulating — or in some cases, disparaging — Paxton after his victory.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made a post on X to congratulate Paxton.
State Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) also congratulated Paxton on his victory and made sure to throw in a dig at Talarico as well.
“After tonight’s results, my only concern is making sure James Talarico’s political career ends in November,” Harris said. “I have served with him in the Texas House since 2019 and know that he is the most radical kind of liberal democrat. Over the coming months he will try to convince you that he’s not. Do not fall for his deception.”
Talarico himself also issued a video after Paxton’s victory, calling him “the most corrupt politician in America.”
Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate for Texas Governor this November, issued the following statement on Paxton:
“This is the most corrupt ticket in Texas history. Ken Paxton and every Republican candidate on the ballot now shares the ticket with Greg Abbott and his record of higher prices, shuttered neighborhood schools, and a government that works for billionaires instead of working families – it’s the Greg Abbott Corruption Tax. As he said last week, Abbott is scared of losing his majority and statewide seats, and he’s right to be – he’s handed us the best opportunity to win Texas in decades.
“From the Gulf Coast to North Texas, voters have turned out in record numbers to reject Abbott’s corrupt agenda. This November, Texans will take back our communities and vote for leaders who will actually lower costs, protect their schools, and put them first.”
Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder issued the following statement:
“Ken Paxton has spent decades in office abusing his power to serve special interests and enrich himself at Texans’ expense – and in November, we’re going to put a stop to his corruption. As Attorney General, Paxton traded favors with lobbyists and his wealthy donors so shamelessly that even his own party tried to remove him from office for alleged bribery and abuse of his position. And while Paxton became a multimillionaire, he cheered the policies that spiked the cost of gas, groceries, health care, and utility bills and made life harder for Texans. We are sick and tired of this kind of corruption from self-serving politicians – and that’s why voters are going to elect James Talarico in November to represent all Texans, not just the rich and powerful.”
The Texas Lone Star PAC issued a statement framing the upcoming Senate election as “faith vs. fraud.”
Senator Ted Cruz released the following statement Tuesday evening on the Texas Senate race.
“Congratulations to Attorney General Ken Paxton on tonight’s victory. He has my full support and endorsement as the Republican nominee. Ken is a fearless conservative who spent years taking on Texas’s toughest battles as Attorney General and has proven that he will always fight for and defend the Lone Star State. He will continue that fight in the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to fighting alongside him.
I also want to congratulate and thank my friend Senator John Cornyn for his many years of dedicated service to Texas and our country. It has been an honor to serve alongside him for over a decade. He spent decades fighting for the Lone Star State, and his service in the Senate has left a significant mark on Texas and the nation.
Heidi and I are grateful for his friendship, and we wish John and his family the very best.
Now, it’s time to unite to make sure that Texas stays Texas. James Talarico is radical, dangerous, and does not represent the values, ideas, or principles of the Lone Star State. Defeating him is critical.”