Ken Paxton, the scandal-ridden Texas attorney general backed by Donald Trump, defeated incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for the US Senate. The result underscores Trump's enduring influence in the deeply conservative state, despite Paxton's history of legal and ethical controversies.
Paxton, who was impeached in 2023 on corruption charges but later acquitted by the Texas Senate, also faced felony securities fraud charges that were dismissed in 2024. His wife filed for divorce last year citing adultery. Cornyn conceded and pledged to support the Republican ticket in the midterms.
Paxton will now face Democrat James Talarico, a state legislator and Presbyterian seminarian, in the general election. Talarico faces long odds in Texas but has gained popularity through a message of peace and populism. Some analysts believe Paxton's baggage could give Talarico a fighting chance.
In other US political news, Republican lawmakers in South Carolina defied Trump by rejecting a gerrymandering effort that would have split Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn's district. Fourteen of 34 Republican state senators voted with Democrats against the bill.
