Incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn narrowly edged Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on March 3, 2026, setting up a bruising May 26 runoff, while state Rep. James Talarico secured the Democratic nomination outright in a contest that highlighted deep intraparty divisions and record spending.
With about 83-88% of precincts reporting as of early March 4, Cornyn led with 41.9% (864,382 votes) to Paxton's 40.8% (842,617 votes), according to Associated Press tallies. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt trailed with around 13%. No candidate reached the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, triggering the state's second major Senate primary showdown in recent cycles.
