Victory for Trump in Texas: Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary

Ken Paxton won the Republican Senate nomination in Texas. The state attorney general defeated John Cornyn, the incumbent senator seeking his fifth term, in the runoff.

With the backing of President Donald Trump, the state attorney general handily defeated the incumbent senator. With more than 60% of the votes counted, Paxton was declared the winner with 64%, to Cornyn's 36%. Trump's endorsement was enough for the attorney general to prevail in most of the state's counties, in rural, urban, and suburban areas, where Cornyn concentrated most of his support.

Thus, Paxton will face Democrat James Talarico in the general election on November 3. For his part, Cornyn became the latest congressional Republican to be defeated in the primary by a Trump-backed opponent. In recent weeks, this was the case for Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

"Over the next seven months, my service in The United State my service in the United States Senate, I intend to continue my work to help make this nation a better place for all Texas and all Americans. Thank you very much, may God bless Texas, and may he continue to bless The United States Of America," Cornyn said after the defeat.

Paxton after victory: “Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful force in Politics”

Just minutes after Cornyn’s speech, Paxton appeared before his supporters in the city of Plano. There, the attorney general thanked the senator for his service and said his victory sends a message to Washington, D.C.: “I said it in March, and I’ll say it again tonight. Change was on the ballot today, and change won.”

“We just proved that this senate seat doesn't belong to Washington. It belongs to you, the hardworking men and women of this state. We went up against a $150,000,000 in all the attacks in the world. And you know what happened? The voters declared loud and clear a simple truth that we know in our hearts and in our souls, Texas is not for sale,” he added.

Paxton also thanked President Trump for his endorsement: “When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn't listen. Instead, he gave his complete and total endorsement. President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement in this most power is the most powerful force in politics.”

Mayes Middleton defeats Chip Roy in Attorney General primary

The other major Republican primary on Tuesday was the attorney general runoff, which pitted State Sen. Mayes Middleton against Rep. Chip Roy. President Trump did not endorse either candidate.

With more than 80% of the vote counted, Middleton prevailed with 55% of the vote, compared to Roy’s 45%. The state senator campaigned by highlighting Roy’s clashes with President Trump — a strategy that helped him win a majority of the counties carried by Ken Paxton.

On the Democratic side, there was also a runoff to determine the party’s attorney general nominee. State Sen. Nathan Johnson defeated former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski by a margin of 60% to 40%.

Roy had the backing of several high-profile Republicans, including Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, as well as Reps. Brandon Gill, Ronny Jackson, Beth Van Duyne, and Keith Self.

Democrat Al Green lost the Democratic primary

Tuesday's House primary contests also took place. One of the races that attracted the most attention was the 18th district, where Congressman Al Green lost to his colleague, Christian Menefee. The two faced off in this primary after Republicans redrew the electoral map in Texas, forcing many Democratic incumbents to drop out or look for other districts to run in.

The 78-year-old progressive got 31% of the vote, to Menefee's 68%. Green, who has been in the House since 2005, is one of the most critical Democrats of President Trump on Capitol Hill. He even had to be removed from the last State of the Union address because of his behavior.