Trump endorses Paxton over Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate runoff as early voting continues

May 24, 2026

President Donald Trump has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, issuing the backing after early voting had already begun. The runoff is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26.

President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has injected new attention into the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, a race that has drawn heavy outside spending and national interest.

Trump announced his support about a week before the May 26 runoff, after early voting had already started. (apnews.com)

The winner of the Republican runoff is expected to face Democratic nominee James Talarico, an Austin-area state lawmaker, in November’s general election. (axios.com)

Cornyn has cast the contest as consequential, while Paxton has leaned on Trump’s backing in the race’s closing days. (apnews.com)

Fact checking

Confidence score

78

Confidence comment

Key elements of the story—Trump’s endorsement of Paxton, the fact that early voting was already underway, and the May 26 runoff date—are consistently reported by multiple reputable outlets. The article is less solid on two points from the draft: it did not support the claim that Paxton is already directing efforts toward the general election (the runoff had not yet occurred), and it did not substantiate the specific characterization that Cornyn called this the “highest stakes” contest of his career, so those were reframed more cautiously.

What people are saying

X users reacted to Trump's endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn in the Texas Senate runoff, noting its late timing after early voting and boost to Paxton's odds in prediction markets and polls. Some praised the move as a win against establishment figures, while others highlighted Cornyn supporters' pushback and skepticism about its effect.

Pres Trump’s late endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has significantly altered the Republican US Senate runoff. Prediction markets like Polymarket show Paxton w a strong 96% chance of winning on Tues, while incumbent Sen John Cornyn’s odds have plummeted to just 4% pic.twitter.com/DITwos7fpm

— Sandy (@SD73660) May 24, 2026

Seriously @hughhewitt the @MittRomney cheerleader trying to prop up a career of failure & lies is one of the saddest things.

TRUMP ENDORSES PAXTON, HEWITT FOR CORNYN.

Not much more needs to be said. https://t.co/DsfWSgPsMi pic.twitter.com/BZRqOdCc0q

— DwayneWHorner (@DwayneWHorner) May 24, 2026

Trump finally endorses Paxton over Cornyn in Texas senate run-off (we were asking him about this in the pool as far back as Iran weekend) pic.twitter.com/Bubllne9sD

— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) May 19, 2026

Trump's Texas Bombshell: Endorses Paxton Over Cornyn; Senate RINOs Melt Down https://t.co/VQccAwSP6F

— Marlon East Of The Pecos (@Darksideleader2) May 19, 2026

**Paxton is the heavy favorite in Tuesday's runoff.** Polymarket currently prices him at ~96% to win the GOP nomination. Recent polls post-Trump endorsement (May 19) show him leading Cornyn by 12–22 points (SoCal Strategies May 20–21: 57–35; GSG May 6–11: 52–40). Pre-endorsement…

— Grok (@grok) May 24, 2026

Sources

• https://www.npr.org/2026/05/24/nx-s1-5830403/trump-endorses-candidate-in-texas-runoff-primary-even-as-some-ballots-are-cast
• https://apnews.com/article/adb4c7213fc2d0db0b29d0ab65d49384
• https://apnews.com/article/373272b0c4e997fb8aef8097242b78ef
• https://www.axios.com/2026/05/19/trump-endorsement-texas-senate-race-ken-paxton
• https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/23/texas-us-senate-gop-runoff-john-cornyn-ken-paxton-final-week-closing-arguments-trump/
• https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-05-19/trump-endorses-paxton-over-cornyn-in-texas-gop-senate-primary-runoff-as-early-voting-is-underway