Paxton leads Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate primary, forcing a runoff

Ken Paxton finished first in the Texas Republican Senate primary, defeating incumbent John Cornyn but falling short of the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff under Texas election law. Paxton received approximately 48 percent of the vote to Cornyn's 38 percent, with two minor candidates splitting the remainder. The result forced a May 26 runoff between the top two finishers, extending the most expensive Senate primary in Texas history.