Texas Republicans are set to conclude the most expensive Senate primary in history on Tuesday, with incumbent Senator John Cornyn facing state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a runoff. Neither candidate secured a majority in the March primary, prompting this runoff. Other races on the ballot include contests for attorney general, state railroad commissioner, and various congressional seats.
Cornyn, who has been in office since 2002, was the leading vote-getter in the March primary but did not achieve the required 50% of the vote. He has had a complicated relationship with former President Trump, who endorsed Paxton shortly before the runoff. Paxton has been a strong supporter of Trump and previously filed a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results, which was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The winner of the runoff is expected to be favored in the November general election, as no Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994. The race has drawn significant financial investment, with over $120 million spent on advertising across both the March primary and the runoff.
In the 18th Congressional District, Democratic incumbents Christian Menefee and Al Green are competing in a runoff after neither secured a majority in the primary. Menefee was the top vote-getter in March, while Green has represented a different district since 2005 but opted to run in this newly drawn district.
In the 35th Congressional District, Democrats are working to prevent Maureen Galindo, who has faced accusations of antisemitism, from winning the primary runoff against Johnny Garcia. Galindo led the primary with 29% of the vote, while Garcia received 27%. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has intervened in this race due to the controversy surrounding Galindo's statements.