Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Tuesday's Republican primary runoff, a major blow to the party's Washington establishment.
Boosted by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump, Paxton captured approximately 64 percent of the vote to Cornyn's 36 percent. The loss ends Cornyn's 24-year Senate tenure and makes him the first Texas Republican senator to lose a renomination bid since 1970.
During the campaign, Paxton painted Cornyn as a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO) and criticized his past support for bipartisan gun legislation. Conceding the race, Cornyn said he respected the voters' decision and pledged to support the GOP ticket in November. Paxton will face Democratic state Representative James Talarico in the general election.
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Texas AG Ken Paxton, Trusted MAGA Ally, Takes On Four-Term Senator John Cornyn—Rajkamal Rao, TIPP Insights
