Ken Paxton wins the Texas GOP Senate runoff over John Cornyn, advancing to face Democrat James Talarico in November

With his runoff victory over John Cornyn, Ken Paxton secured the Republican nomination for the Texas Senate seat and will face Democrat Stephanie Talarico in the November 2026 general election. Talarico, a former Texas state legislator, had won the Democratic primary earlier in the cycle. The general election contest set up a rare competitive race for a Texas Senate seat, as Democrats sought to capitalize on anti-MAGA backlash and Paxton's legal history to make the seat competitive.