Trending Now - Cornyn Faces Paxton in High-stakes Texas Senate Runoff Showdown

WHO:

ABC News Politics - Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in Texas: Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

AP News - President Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton on May 19.

WHAT:

AP News - The advertising spending for the runoff has topped $109 million, primarily from Cornyn’s side.

AP News - Cornyn is seeking a fifth term in the Senate.

AP News - Cornyn stated that 99.3% of his votes aligned with Trump.

AP News - Cornyn's campaign and supporting super PACs have outspent pro-Paxton groups by almost nine-to-one over the past year.

AP News - In the final week of the campaign, pro-Cornyn ad spending was less than twice that of Paxton’s group.

WHERE:

AP News - Cornyn hosted an event in San Antonio to recognize high school graduates attending service academies.

AP News - Cornyn held his last public campaign event in Corpus Christi.

AP News - Paxton headlined his last events in the Austin area and in San Antonio.

WHEN:

AP News - The candidates had no public campaign events scheduled for the final day of their campaign.

AP News - Early voting ended on Friday.

AP News - Trump’s endorsement of Paxton came on May 19.

WHY:

AP News - Trump endorsed Paxton and criticized Cornyn for being insufficiently loyal to him.

AP News - Cornyn argued that Paxton would struggle in the general election and threaten to flip the seat blue.

HOW:

AP News - The candidates’ campaigns relied heavily on advertising to reach voters, with Cornyn’s campaign focusing on attacking Paxton over ethical and personal questions.

(UPDATED May 26, 2026 08:08 UTC)

In a heated race for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas, President Trump has endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton, criticizing incumbent Senator John Cornyn for not being loyal enough. As the runoff approaches, advertising spending has skyrocketed to over $109 million, with Cornyn's campaign and supporting super PACs outspending pro-Paxton groups by nearly nine-to-one. Cornyn recently hosted an event in San Antonio to honor high school graduates entering service academies, while Paxton wrapped up his campaign with events in Austin and San Antonio, as both candidates prepare for the final push before the election.