Ken Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn 63.8% to 36.5% in the Republican primary runoff on May 26, 2026. The result eliminates a four-term senator and installs the Texas attorney general as the GOP nominee against Democrat James Talarico in the Nov. 3 general election.
Paxton's Climb Through Texas Legislature to Attorney General
Paxton began his elected career in 2002 when voters in Collin County sent him to the Texas House for District 70. He won re-election five times over the next decade, focusing on state sovereignty and conservative priorities during a period of rapid suburban growth. In 2012 he moved up to the Texas Senate for District 8, serving one term before running statewide.
Paxton won the 2014 Republican primary for attorney general in a runoff against state Rep. Dan Branch, then defeated the Democratic nominee in November. He took office in January 2015 and won re-election in 2018 and 2022. A late endorsement from President Trump helped secure his Senate primary victory this year.
Talarico's Path from Teacher to Democratic Nominee
James Talarico, an eighth-generation Texan born in 1989, worked as a middle school teacher before entering politics. He earned degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard, then won election to the Texas House in 2018 at age 29, becoming the chamber's youngest member. He flipped a district Donald Trump had carried two years earlier.
In the House, Talarico helped craft the largest school finance overhaul in two decades and passed measures capping Pre-K class sizes, expanding student mental health funding, and limiting insulin copays to $25 a month. He defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March 2026 Democratic primary to claim the Senate nomination.
