Texas Primary Runoffs Set November General Election Matchups

Texas primary runoffs concluded Tuesday, finalizing November general election matchups for the U.S. Senate and multiple House districts. President Trump endorsed the Republican nominee for Senate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated Sen. John Cornyn. The same night, several other candidates backed by President Trump advanced in House contests.

The Senate matchup between Ken Paxton and the Democratic nominee drew more than $108 million in spending this year, according to AdImpact data cited by Npr. Republicans accounted for nearly $75 million of that total. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll conducted in mid-April showed the Democratic nominee ahead of both Republican contenders by similar margins, with nearly one in five voters undecided.

Redistricting placed longtime Democratic Rep.

Al Green into a new district where he lost to fellow Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee. Colin Allred defeated Rep. Julie Johnson. In two Republican-leaning districts, candidates endorsed by President Trump prevailed over candidates backed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Republican turnout in the Senate runoff fell below one million votes, lower than the 1.2 million cast for Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2022 primary. Democratic participation rose compared with recent cycles. Sen. John Cornyn conceded Tuesday evening without naming his opponent and stated he would continue working through the remainder of his term.