Paxton crushes Cornyn, Middleton tops Roy in GOP runoffs

AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, soundly defeating long-time Sen. John Cornyn. 

Though Paxton has seen his share of controversy during his tenure as AG, which includes being indicted for security fraud in 2015 and facing impeachment in 2023, he continues to be cleared of any allegations and emerge victorious.

Paxton once again emerged a winner in the May 26 runoff election, despite political ads hammering him on the aforementioned controversies. 

In total, Paxton netted around 64 percent of the vote, effectively ending Cornyn’s more than two decades in the Senate. Paxton will face off against Democrat James Dell Talarico in the general election this fall. 

Cornyn gave an emotional speech following the loss, mentioning his four decades of service in public office. 

“Tonight we’ve come up short in this runoff,” he said. “I’ve spent most of my time in the Senate building the Republican Party in Texas and in the U.S. Senate, and I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend on doing so again in this general election.

“I’ve said throughout this race I trust the voters of Texas, and they made their decision, and I must respect it.” 

In his victory speech, Paxton thanked President Donald Trump, calling his endorsement the most powerful force in politics. 

“I am honored to have his (Trump’s) support and look forward to working with him in the Senate to deliver for Texas,” he said. “Tonight, we just sent a Texas sized message to Washington. We went up against a $150 million dollars and all the attacks in the world and you know what happened? The voters declared loud and clear the simple truth… Texas is not for sale.” 

The Republican Party’s choice to replace Paxton as attorney general is Mayes Middleton, who captured 55 percent of the vote in the runoff to defeat Chip Roy.  

Middleton is running on a platform promising border security and fighting against the woke agenda. He will face Democrat Nathan Johnson in the general election.