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Texas 2026 Senate Primaries Conclude with Democratic Nominee Set, Republican Runoff Scheduled

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Texas 2026 Senate Primaries: Record Turnout Sets Stage for Competitive General Election

Early voting and primary elections for the 2026 U.S. Senate seat in Texas have concluded, resulting in a Democratic nominee and a Republican runoff. The contests attracted record-breaking turnout and significant national attention, setting the stage for a competitive general election in November.

Democratic Primary Outcome

State Representative James Talarico won the Democratic nomination, defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett. The race was called after the March 3 primary.

Candidate Backgrounds:

  • James Talarico, 36: A former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian from Round Rock.
  • Jasmine Crockett, 44: A former public defender and civil rights attorney from Dallas.

Both candidates entered the race with national profiles built through viral social media content.

Campaign Dynamics: The primary became increasingly competitive, marked by significant outside spending and negative advertising from allied super PACs. Talarico held a substantial financial advantage, outspending Crockett on advertising.

Policy differences were minimal, but strategic approaches diverged. Crockett emphasized mobilizing core Democratic base voters, while Talarico focused on expanding the electorate by appealing to independents and disaffected conservatives.

Key Incident: Talarico's campaign received a surge in attention and reported raising $2.5 million within 24 hours after CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" did not broadcast a pre-taped interview due to network lawyers' concerns about equal time rules. The interview was later posted online and garnered millions of views.

Voter Turnout: The Democratic Senate primary set a record for the highest turnout in any Texas primary for a statewide office, with over 2.3 million votes cast. Early voting totals for the Democratic primary also surpassed Republican early voting numbers.

Analysis of Texas Secretary of State data indicated a significant increase in Democratic votes in the state's 10 most populous Latino-majority counties compared to the 2024 Senate primary.

Following the results, Crockett conceded and emphasized party unity. Talarico received an endorsement from former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Republican Primary and Runoff

The Republican primary did not produce a nominee, as no candidate secured over 50% of the vote. The race will proceed to a runoff election on May 26 between the top two finishers: incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt placed third.

Candidate Profiles:

  • John Cornyn: The four-term incumbent positioned himself as an experienced conservative who votes in line with former President Donald Trump's agenda. His campaign argued he is the most electable candidate who can appeal to swing voters.
  • Ken Paxton: The state Attorney General aligned himself with the "America First" movement. His campaign highlighted his legal challenges against Democratic administrations. Paxton was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House in 2023 on charges including bribery and abuse of public trust; he was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.
  • Wesley Hunt: A two-term congressman who positioned himself as a bridge to a new generation of conservative candidates.

Primary Results: With approximately two-thirds of ballots counted, Cornyn led Paxton by less than two percentage points. Hunt received about 13% of the vote.

Endorsement Status: Former President Donald Trump did not endorse a candidate before the primary or before the state's deadline for candidates to withdraw from the runoff ballot. Both Cornyn and Paxton have actively sought his endorsement.

Trump and Paxton have linked the endorsement decision to the U.S. Senate's consideration of the "SAVE America Act," a bill proposing changes to voting laws. Paxton stated he would consider withdrawing if Senate leadership agreed to eliminate the filibuster to pass the act. Cornyn later stated he would support changing Senate rules to pass the legislation.

General Election Context

The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democrat James Talarico in the November general election.

Historical Challenge: No Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994. The last Democratic Senate victory was in 1988.

Republican Concerns: Some national and state Republicans have expressed concern that a Paxton nomination could jeopardize the seat in the general election and force the party to spend additional resources defending it.

A recent University of Houston poll indicated the general election would be a statistical toss-up regardless of whether Cornyn or Paxton is the Republican nominee.

Democratic Strategy: Democratic officials view the competitive and contentious Republican primary as a potential opportunity. Some party strategists believe Paxton's legal controversies could provide a clearer contrast in the general election.

Down-ballot Impact: Both parties are assessing how their Senate nominee might affect other races. Republicans reference the 2018 election, where a strong Democratic Senate campaign by Beto O'Rourke was associated with Democratic gains in down-ballot races. Democrats hope for a similar effect in 2026.

Statewide Primary Results for Other Offices

In other primary results:

  • Republican incumbents Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick won their primaries and will seek reelection.
  • On the Democratic side, State Representative Gina Hinojosa won the nomination for governor, and State Representative Vikki Goodwin led in the primary for lieutenant governor.