{"id":3564,"date":"2026-05-27T01:39:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T01:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/27\/trump-backed-ken-paxton-ousts-john-cornyn-in-heated-texas-race-after-scandal-plagued-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T01:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T01:39:42","slug":"trump-backed-ken-paxton-ousts-john-cornyn-in-heated-texas-race-after-scandal-plagued-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=3564","title":{"rendered":"Trump-backed Ken Paxton ousts John Cornyn in heated Texas race after scandal-plagued campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"f6b3ab37-0f32-469d-b405-f77195caefdf\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ken Paxton speaks to supporters at a campaign event in McKinney, Texas, 19 May 2026.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/e754d7a030e6aa533a1ba504dc2ca4d0348723ee\/646_0_4678_3742\/master\/4678.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.9602394185549\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Ken Paxton speaks to supporters at a campaign event in McKinney, Texas, 19 May 2026.<\/span> Photograph: LM Otero\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"f6b3ab37-0f32-469d-b405-f77195caefdf\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Ken Paxton speaks to supporters at a campaign event in McKinney, Texas, 19 May 2026.<\/span> Photograph: LM Otero\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Trump-backed Ken Paxton ousts John Cornyn in heated Texas race after scandal-plagued campaign<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Race had wide implications for Trump\u2019s strength heading into midterms, where Paxton will face Democratic candidate James Talarico<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Ken Paxton, the Donald Trump-backed Texas attorney general, triumphed over incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for senator. His victory signals that even a scandal-plagued candidate can win over the deep red state with the support of the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAfter a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins, tonight we\u2019ve come up short in this primary runoff,\u201d Cornyn said shortly after the race was called. \u201cI\u2019ve always supported the GOP ticket. I intend to do so again this general election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The race had wide implications for Trump\u2019s strength heading into November\u2019s midterm elections, where Paxton will now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention. If he wins, Talarico would become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/texas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Midterm elections often serve as a referendum on the sitting president and tend to help the opposing party. This year Democrats are favored to win the House of Representatives, though a supreme court decision that decimated the Voting Rights Act could allow for more Republican-leaning districts and complicate the picture. The race for Senate remains in flux, though candidatessuch as Talarico, Graham Platner in Maine, as well as purple states such as Ohio and Michigan, could upset the Republican lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Texas, which Trump won in 2024 by a gaping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/11\/05\/us\/elections\/results-texas-president.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">14 percentage points<\/a> in 2024, remains a conservative state, and the Republican primary was a testament to hot button issues \u2013 from religion to economy \u2013 that animate the base.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">First elected state attorney general in 2014, Paxton sought to position himself as a national leader on the far right, launching some of the first criminal investigations in the US over <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/texas-illegal-abortion-charge-2ffba72c1d547afa87607bd0a3c32b92\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">abortion bans<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/transgender-health-texas-lawsuit-doctors-951fe220e9b694533bce38068278521f\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">gender-affirming care<\/a> for transgender youth. He also led a lawsuit attempting to overturn Trump\u2019s loss to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort the US supreme court rejected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said: \u201cPaxton was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a> before Donald Trump was. He was in the vanguard of the Tea Party movement, which was a major spur for the Maga movement nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But Paxton comes with significant political baggage, and national Republicans worry they will have to spend significantly more with him as the nominee.Paxton was impeached in 2023 after being accused of corruption, and reported to the FBI. He was <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-871fb9c57b38fbda5bec5c2e5f280755\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">later acquitted in a trial in the Texas senate<\/a>, where his wife was a state senator but not allowed to cast a vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Paxton was also indicted on charges of felony securities fraud that could have led to a prison sentence, but the case was dismissed after a 2024 pre-trial diversion agreement. And last year his wife of 38 years, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AngelaPaxtonTX\/status\/1943366217479393512?s=20\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">on biblical grounds<\/a>\u201d, citing adultery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Cornyn, meanwhile, has had a less incendiary tenure, but sought to win over Trump diehards with his own conservative bona fides, and even introducing a bill to name a future highway after Trump. But Cornyn, a prominent figure in Republican politics who was nearly chosen to be the Senate majority leader, became the latest target of Trump\u2019s retribution campaign. In a Sunday social media post, Trump said Cornyn had been \u201cVERY disloyal\u201d to me and implored voters in Texas to \u201cREMEMBER!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/texas\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-midterm-elections-2026\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US midterm elections 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/ken-paxton\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Ken Paxton<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/republicans\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-senate\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump-backed%20Ken%20Paxton%20ousts%20John%20Cornyn%20in%20heated%20Texas%20race%20after%20scandal-plagued%20campaign&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/ken-paxton-texas-senate-runoff?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F26%2Fken-paxton-texas-senate-runoff&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/ken-paxton-texas-senate-runoff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ken Paxton speaks to supporters at a campaign event in McKinney, Texas, 19 May 2026. Photograph: LM Otero\/AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}