https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/Ongoing. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged Senator John Cornyn for the Republican nomination in April 2025. Cornyn led the March 2026 primary without a majority, and Paxton won the 26 May runoff after President Donald Trump endorsed him. Paxton faces state Representative James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary over Jasmine Crockett, on 3 November 2026.enhttps://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e22texas-senate-race-2026-d398aa9406Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The early voting period was scheduled to end on 30 October, ahead of the 3 November election, FOX 7 Austin and WOAI reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e21texas-senate-race-2026-881583526fTue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Trump held rallies for Paxton at the Port of Corpus Christi and in Lubbock, FOX 7 Austin and WOAI reported. Talarico also campaigned in Lubbock that day.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e20texas-senate-race-2026-20ed247d37Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Talarico said in a TMZ interview that the outlet could host a debate and that he had agreed to several, including one on Fox News, FOX 7 Austin and The National Desk reported. FOX 7 Austin reported that Paxton said he did not want a CNN reporter covering a debate. Neither outlet reported a scheduled debate.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e19texas-senate-race-2026-eae8893c56Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Talarico resumed campaigning with a rally in San Marcos. The Associated Press reported, citing federal filings, that Elon Musk had given $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which gave $158 million to Texas PAC, a group backing Paxton, and that Musk gave $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton. Talarico's campaign had outraised Paxton's, the AP reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e18texas-senate-race-2026-6a6cb17681Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000After a rally with Paxton in San Antonio, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Talarico should report to a debate stage, the Associated Press reported. Talarico replied on X the next day that he agreed. Paxton did not publicly respond. The AP reported, citing AdImpact, that the campaigns and more than a dozen outside groups had spent over $247 million on advertising.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e17texas-senate-race-2026-4ed99f3d7eThu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Talarico made no public campaign appearances for nine days in early October, the Associated Press reported. Paxton spokeswoman Madison Cercy responded with a demand for proof of life.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e16texas-senate-race-2026-756218e390Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000In July Talarico challenged Paxton to three televised debates, and Paxton's campaign said he would debate, the Associated Press reported. The campaign later objected to some proposed moderators, and an agreement it suggested was imminent was not announced. In September Talarico invited Paxton to a Fox News debate.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e14texas-senate-race-2026-41f578a67dTue, 26 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Associated Press called the Republican runoff for Paxton. Roll Call reported 62.6 percent for Paxton and 37.4 percent for Cornyn when the AP called the race. Houston Public Media reported a similar Paxton share with 193 of 254 counties reporting.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e15texas-senate-race-2026-9ba2ec506eTue, 26 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cornyn told supporters his campaign had come up short and said he would keep working for Texans for the rest of his term, ABC13 Houston reported. Roll Call reported that he said he would respect the voters' decision and back the Republican ticket in November.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e13texas-senate-race-2026-684b61f27cFri, 22 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000Advertising by Cornyn and his allies was expected to total about $90 million through that week, compared with about $10.5 million for Paxton and his supporting super PAC, AP reported, citing AdImpact. Those totals covered the campaign to date, including about $20 million and $6.1 million respectively since the March primary. Cornyn argued that Paxton would lose the seat in November.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e12texas-senate-race-2026-edcae45ab3Tue, 19 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000With early voting in the runoff already under way, Trump endorsed Paxton over Cornyn, the Associated Press and Houston Public Media reported. Senate Republican leaders continued to back Cornyn, and National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Tim Scott had said the party might not hold Texas without him as nominee.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e10texas-senate-race-2026-a8c87ed71cWed, 04 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000Crockett conceded in a written statement on 4 March and called on Democrats to unite behind Talarico, the Associated Press reported. Her campaign had earlier suggested she might sue over voting problems in the primary.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e8texas-senate-race-2026-2e44215291Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000In the 3 March Republican primary Cornyn finished narrowly ahead of Paxton but short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, the Associated Press reported. Hunt finished third and conceded. President Donald Trump had not endorsed a candidate before the vote.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e9texas-senate-race-2026-c5bef5d8ceTue, 03 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Associated Press called the Democratic primary for Talarico early on 4 March. Crockett warned that people had been disenfranchised, and her campaign said it planned to sue over voting problems in Dallas, the AP reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e11texas-senate-race-2026-de79fa666fSun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000After the primary Trump said he would endorse one of the two runoff candidates and expected the other to drop out, the Associated Press reported. Paxton said he would not leave the race.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e7texas-senate-race-2026-a607d508beMon, 08 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000Colin Allred ended his Senate campaign to seek a House seat. Later the same day, US Representative Jasmine Crockett announced her Senate candidacy in Dallas on the final day of qualifying, the Associated Press reported. She joined James Talarico in the Democratic primary.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e6texas-senate-race-2026-5c49c12dd9Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000US Representative Wesley Hunt of Houston, an Army veteran and West Point graduate in his second House term, entered the Republican Senate primary against Cornyn and Paxton, Roll Call and The Texas Tribune reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e5texas-senate-race-2026-f0dba6df96Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000State Representative James Talarico of Austin, a former schoolteacher, launched his Senate campaign at a rally in Round Rock, the Associated Press and The Texas Newsroom reported. Former US Representative Colin Allred and former astronaut Terry Virts were already running for the Democratic nomination.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e4texas-senate-race-2026-526c8771c8Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000The three felony securities fraud charges against Paxton in Harris County district court were dismissed after he completed the conditions of the 2024 pretrial agreement, Bloomberg Law and FOX 7 Austin reported. Prosecutor Brian Wice announced the dismissal, and Paxton's lawyer Dan Cogdell posted the signed dismissal motion. The case ended without a trial, plea or conviction.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e3texas-senate-race-2026-5467535ce3Tue, 08 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000Paxton announced his run for the Republican Senate nomination in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham and in a post on X, the Associated Press reported. Cornyn's campaign called Paxton a fraud and cited his impeachment.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e2texas-senate-race-2026-1b47827aebFri, 01 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000Senator John Cornyn, in the Senate since 2002 and a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice, lost his bid to become Senate majority leader in November 2024 after several years as Mitch McConnell's deputy, the Associated Press reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e1texas-senate-race-2026-45ed4212dcTue, 26 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Paxton reached a pretrial agreement under which prosecutors agreed to drop the felony securities fraud charges brought against him in 2015 if he completed 100 hours of community service and 15 hours of legal ethics courses and paid about $271,000 in restitution, The Texas Tribune reported. He did not enter a plea, and his lawyer said the agreement contained no admission of wrongdoing. Paxton called the case a political prosecution.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/texas-senate-race-2026/#e0texas-senate-race-2026-50a0f51155Sat, 01 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000The Texas House impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton on articles that included bribery allegations tied to a real estate donor, and the Texas Senate acquitted him after a two-week trial in 2023, the Associated Press reported. The Texas Tribune reported that he was acquitted of all 16 articles.