Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Defeats Incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Republican Primary

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has achieved a notable win against Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff. Paxton, 62, secured the nomination after a campaign that became the most expensive Senate primary in US history.

Cornyn, 74, a long-serving figure with 23 years in Congress and a former high-ranking member of Senate Republican leadership, faced a challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump. While Trump initially hesitated, he eventually backed Paxton last week, describing Cornyn as "very disloyal" for his perceived lack of support for Trump's voting reform legislation.

Paxton will now face Democratic state legislator James Talarico in the November general election. Democrats view Paxton as a potentially weaker opponent due to his history of personal and political scandals, hoping to flip a Senate seat in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.

The result underscores a trend where candidates aligned with Trump's populist base are gaining ground against traditional Republican establishment figures, even when significantly outspent. Paxton campaigned on a platform that criticised Cornyn as being too old, too timid, and out of touch with Texas conservatives.