Trump Endorses Ken Paxton For Texas Senate

(Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)

President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Tuesday over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn ahead of the Senate runoff.

Cornyn and Paxton competed in a tight matchup as they both campaigned to run against Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Trump made endorsements for over two dozen Republican candidates across the country, but waited until early voting in the runoff to make an endorsement in the Texas GOP Senate primary.

“The Highly Respected Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, an America First Patriot, and someone who has always been extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT, is running for the United States Senate, to represent a place I love and WON, BIG, three times, with 6.4 Million Votes in 2024 (The Most Votes in the History of the State, BY FAR)!” Trump said.

A poll from Monday found Cornyn held a three-point edge against Talarico, while Paxton tied with Talarico, according to the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center. One poll found Paxton slightly leading Cornyn 48% to 45%, according to USA Today.

Early voting in the runoff against Cornyn and Paxton began Monday and will end Friday. The final day to cast a vote is scheduled for May 26.

Cornyn won a plurality of the vote in a March primary by roughly 1.5 percentage points, but he failed to secure a majority needed to avoid a runoff. He received endorsements from former Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Republican Texas Rep. Michael McCaul.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton arrives with former U.S. President Donald Trump to court during Trump’s trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images)

Both candidates expressed their support for Trump before the endorsement, indicating they both hoped for the president’s backing. Shortly after both candidates advanced to the runoff, Trump said he would endorse one candidate and ask the other to drop out of the race.

Paxton said in March that he would “stay in the race” regardless of who Trump endorsed. Trump said it would be “very bad for him” to refuse to drop out.

“Well, that’s bad for him to say,” Trump said. “That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”

Paxton’s campaign did not come without its challenges, as Paxton’s wife, Republican Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce in July 2025 over an extramarital affair.