AUSTIN, Texas – The biggest Republican primary race in Texas on primary Election Day was for U.S. senator.
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn came out ahead of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by just a couple percentage points, and they will be heading to a runoff election in May.
Both candidates started their speeches Tuesday evening the same way: thanking family, then the voters, then the third candidate in the primary race, Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who received about 13% of the vote.
>> These Bexar County and Texas races are headed to primary runoff elections
“I want to thank Wesley Hunt for being in this race. Wesley served our country honorably in uniform and I have no doubt he ran because he loves Texas,” Paxton said.
“You ran a spirited race, and you have a bright future,” Cornyn said.
After that, the gloves came off.
“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered, and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked too hard to build over these many years,” Cornyn said.
Cornyn mentioned the polls, saying Paxton could not win the general election against Democrat James Talarico.
“If he’s nominated, there’s a high risk Paxton would lose the Senate seat, taking five congressional seats down with him,” Cornyn said.
Paxton came down hard on Cornyn, telling his supporters, “After all the lies, you listened to what John Cornyn was selling, and you weren’t buying it. For too long John Cornyn has turned his back on us.”
Paxton went after Cornyn’s record.
“While John Cornyn was cutting deals on gun control and amnesty, I was suing corrupt Joe Biden over 107 times,” Paxton said.
Both candidates tightly aligned themselves with President Donald Trump during their campaigns. Before the election, the president expressed support for both men but did not endorse either.
Then in a bombshell post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said the Republican battle for the Senate seat, “cannot, for the good of the party, and our country itself, be allowed to go on any longer.”
“It must stop now,” Trump said. “We have an easy to beat radical left opponent and we have to totally focus on putting him away. both john and ken ran great races but not good enough. this one must be perfect.”
Trump announced he will make his endorsement soon and will be asking the other candidate to drop out of the race, saying, “We must win in November.”
On election night, KSAT’s Courtney Friedman asked Cornyn if he thought Trump would endorse anyone in the runoff, and if so, if he was confident it would be him.
“There’s only one person on the planet who knows what President Trump is going to do and that’s him,” Cornyn said. “Certainly, I talk to the president on a regular basis. I think he wanted to see me earn this nomination.”
Paxton, in his own speech feeling confident about his chances, said, “I will be the Republican nominee.”
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