Texas Republican voters will cast ballots Tuesday in a high-stakes Senate primary runoff that has drawn national attention as the latest test of former President Trump’s influence within the GOP.
The runoff features U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who led the initial March 3 primary, facing off against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who finished second but secured Trump’s backing on May 19.
Beyond the Senate race, voters will also decide primary runoffs in over a dozen congressional districts, along with state races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and other offices.
Cornyn, seeking his fifth term, was forced into Tuesday’s one-on-one contest after two GOP rivals prevented him from securing a majority in the initial primary. The matchup gives Trump another chance to remove incumbents he considers insufficiently supportive of his leadership and policies.
The outcome will determine who faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November’s general election, as Democrats express growing confidence about their prospects in the traditionally red state while working to regain Senate control.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton noted that Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough,” though the former president’s statement was less harsh than his recent criticisms of Republican incumbents in other states. Cornyn had been critical of Trump before the president’s 2024 campaign launch.
Geographic voting patterns from the March primary suggest Trump’s strongest counties could prove decisive. While many counties where Trump won 80% or more of the 2024 vote are rural with small populations, they collectively represented about one-fifth of GOP primary voters. Paxton outperformed Cornyn 45% to 40% in these areas, while Cornyn did better statewide elsewhere.
In counties where Trump received 50% to 80% support, Cornyn earned roughly 42% of votes, narrowly beating Paxton by one percentage point. Republican primary voters in the 12 counties carried by Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 favored Cornyn 44% to 40%. These Harris counties accounted for 25% of total primary votes, exceeding the share from Trump’s strongest areas.
Historical data shows only two Texas U.S. senators have lost primaries in the past century.
Congressional redistricting in 2025, conducted at Trump’s encouragement to help Republicans maintain House control, created several notable primary runoffs. Democratic U.S. Reps. Christian Menefee and Al Green will compete in the redrawn 18th Congressional District, while Democratic U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson faces former Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred in the new 33rd Congressional District.
Polling locations close at 7 p.m. local time across the state. Most polls operate on Central time and close at 8 p.m. ET, while western Texas polls on Mountain time close at 9 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press will report vote totals and call winners in Republican primary runoffs for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, railroad commissioner, Court of Criminal Appeals, and state legislative seats, plus Democratic primary runoffs for U.S. House, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state Board of Education and state House races.
Voting rules allow residents who skipped the March 3 primary to participate in either party’s runoff. Those who voted in a party primary may only vote in that same party’s runoff, while non-partisan primary voters can choose either party’s runoff.
Texas had nearly 19 million registered voters as of the March primary, when approximately 2.2 million Republican and 2.3 million Democratic ballots were cast.
The 2022 Republican primary for Texas Attorney General drew about 1.9 million voters initially, dropping to roughly 932,000 for the runoff. Early voting comprised about 63% of March’s Republican primary total.
As of Thursday, approximately 621,000 Republican and 262,000 Democratic primary ballots had already been submitted for Tuesday’s election.
Counties typically release complete or nearly complete early and absentee voting results in their first update before reporting Election Day totals.
March’s Senate primary results began at 8 p.m. ET when most polls closed, reaching 75% counted by 11:39 p.m. ET and continuing until about 5:58 a.m. ET with roughly 98% tabulated.
The Associated Press declares winners only when no possible scenario allows trailing candidates to overcome their deficit. For uncalled races, the AP continues covering developments like candidate concessions while clearly noting no winner has been declared.
Texas mandates automatic recounts solely for tie votes. Losing candidates may request and fund recounts when margins fall below 10% of the winner’s total. The AP may call races subject to potential recounts if leads appear too large for recounts or legal challenges to alter outcomes.
Tuesday’s results will leave 161 days until the 2026 midterm elections.
