The 2026 United States Senate election in Texas will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Texas. Republican state attorney general Ken Paxton and Democratic state representative James Talarico are the nominees for their respective parties.

Four-term Republican incumbent John Cornyn sought re-election, but was challenged for the party's nomination by Paxton. After no candidate received a majority in the March 3 primary, Paxton, aided by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump, defeated Cornyn with 63.8% of the vote in a runoff on May 26. In the Democratic primary, Talarico won the nomination with 52.4% of the vote over congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Democrats have not won a Senate election in Texas since 1988.

Background Texas has been considered a Republican-leaning state throughout the 21st century. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election in the state since Lloyd Bentsen was re-elected in 1988, and they have not won any statewide election in the state since lieutenant governor Bob Bullock was re-elected in 1994. Republicans have fully controlled the Texas Legislature since the 2002 elections. Texas's Republican lean has waned in the past decade, with Democrats only narrowly losing the 2018 elections for U.S. Senate and attorney general, buoyed by gains in the state's suburban areas. More recently, however, Republicans have made substantial gains with the state's Hispanic population, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley. Republican Donald Trump won the state by nearly 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, while U.S. Senator Ted Cruz won re-election by over 8 points on the same ballot.

Incumbent Republican senator John Cornyn was first elected in 2002 to succeed fellow Republican Phil Gramm. Cornyn had previously served as the state's attorney general, as well as a member of the state's Supreme Court. He most recently won re-election in 2020 with 53.5% of the vote against Democrat M. J. Hegar. Cornyn has a consistently conservative voting record in the U.S. Senate, and he is considered part of the Republican establishment due to his long tenure in politics.

Republican primary

Background Incumbent senator John Cornyn, who was seeking a fifth term, faced a competitive primary from attorney general Ken Paxton which progressed to a runoff after no candidate reached a majority in the first round. The two had clashed publicly since 2022, with Paxton criticizing Cornyn for being insufficiently conservative, particularly over his support for U.S. aid to Ukraine, DREAM Act for DACA beneficiaries and playing a leading role in the passage of the bipartisan gun safety bill after the Uvalde school massacre. Cornyn, in turn, has highlighted Paxton's legal troubles, perceived character flaws and corruption, and his 2023 impeachment, in which Paxton was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House before the Senate later acquitted him of all charges.

The race has been seen as a key contest between the Texas Republican Party's establishment wing and its hardline conservative faction. In recent years, insurgent hard-right candidates have steadily gained ground, often ousting more traditional GOP officials. Polling reflects this divide: Paxton holds a commanding lead among "Trump Movement" voters, while Cornyn performs better with the smaller group of "Traditional Republicans." On May 19, 2026, Donald Trump announced his endorsement for Paxton, while previously describing both Paxton and Cornyn as good friends. His influence was widely seen as a key factor in determining the primary winner. He had previously criticized Cornyn as a "hopeless" RINO (Republican in name only) for supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, an attack Paxton's campaign highlighted in their ads. Ted Cruz, the junior senator, avoided taking a side in the primary, though he previously endorsed Cornyn in 2020.

The election takes place amid efforts by the state Republican Party to restrict its primary to registered members. Legislation to allow closed primaries failed, prompting the party to sue the state, claiming the current law violates the First Amendment. Despite serving as the state's attorney general, Paxton declined to defend the law in court, drawing criticism from those who argued he would gain electorally from a closed primary.

Candidates

Nominee Ken Paxton, attorney general of Texas (2015–present)

Eliminated in runoff John Cornyn, incumbent U.S. senator (2002–present)

Eliminated in primary John Adefope Anna Bender, IT analyst Virgil Bierschwale, software developer and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 Sara Canady, former Wilson County justice of the peace and candidate for in 2022 Wesley Hunt, U.S. representative from (2023–present) (endorsed Paxton) Gulrez "Gus" Khan, entrepreneur, candidate for in 2024, and candidate for mayor of Lubbock in 2022

Withdrawn Alexander Duncan, police officer Rennie Mann, president of the Richland Springs school board Barrett McNabb, chiropractic business owner (ran for U.S. House) Tony Schmoker, realtor Leo Wyatt

First round

Campaign Paxton led Cornyn in early polling both before and after entering the race, though concerns about his general election viability persisted, as polls showed him underperforming Cornyn and, in some cases, trailing hypothetical Democratic opponents. This led many Republicans to back Cornyn, as Senate GOP leaders pressed Trump for an endorsement. Cornyn told The Wall Street Journal in June 2025 that he would consider stepping aside if a stronger candidate emerged to defeat Paxton, but he quickly walked back the comment, stating he would remain in the race. Congressman Wesley Hunt entered the race in late 2025, further scrambling the race and increasing the chance of a runoff.

All three candidates competed for the endorsement of Donald Trump, having made support for him and his agenda central to their campaigns; however, Trump declined to back a single candidate, instead stating he supported "all three". Cornyn had maintained a substantial fundraising lead over the other candidates throughout the race, spending much of it attacking Paxton. The early three-way polling was very narrow, usually with Cornyn and Paxton making the runoff and no candidate close to winning outright. While campaigning, all three tapped into Islamophobic sentiment in their advertisements and actions, with Cornyn and Paxton having targeted the EPIC City development in Collin County with investigations and lawsuits.

Endorsements

Fundraising Candidates in italics withdrew before the primary election took place. Campaign finance reports as of February 11, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handVirgil Bierschwale (R)$9,988$9,657$331Sara Canady (R)$770$7,061$0John Cornyn (R)$11,155,399$6,816,042$4,972,818Wesley Hunt (R)$1,971,633$4,116,502$342,307Gulrez Khan (R)$10,443$10,964$0Ken Paxton (R)$5,857,093$1,925,816$3,931,277Tony Schmoker (R)$2,500$3,107$0Source: Federal Election Commission

Polling Aggregate polls Source of pollaggregationDatesadministeredDatesupdated JohnCornyn WesleyHunt KenPaxton Other/UndecidedMarginFiftyPlusOnethrough February 27, 2026March 3, 202629.5%21.2%35.6%13.7%Paxton +6.1%270toWinFebruary 25 – March 2, 2026March 3, 202635.2%17.5%38.7%8.6%Paxton +3.5%RealClearPoliticsFebruary 13–27, 2026March 2, 202635.4%15.8%39.2%9.6%Paxton +3.8%Decision Desk HQthrough February 27, 2026March 2, 202635.4%16.5%38.9%9.2%Paxton +3.5%Race to the WHthrough February 27, 2026March 2, 202632.9%17.4%37.2%12.5%Paxton +5.7%Average33.7%17.7%37.9%10.7%Paxton +4.2%

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JohnCornyn WesleyHunt KenPaxton Other UndecidedYouGovFebruary 26 – March 2, 20261,659 (LV)±2.8%32%17%36%2%13%Emerson CollegeFebruary 26–27, 2026547 (LV)±4.1%36%17%40%8%Quantus Insights (R)February 25–26, 2026939 (LV)±3.1%38%16%43%3%Victory Phones (R)February 24–25, 2026600 (LV)30%15%39%16%Blueprint Polling (D)February 23–24, 2026529 (LV)±5.3%30%14%42%1%13%Peak Insights (R)February 19–23, 2026800 (LV)±3.0%36%14%36%15%UT TylerFebruary 13–22, 2026 (LV)rowspan="2" 41%15%35%9% (RV)39%19%33%University of Texas/Texas Politics ProjectFebruary 2–16, 2026350 (RV)±5.2%34%26%36%3%McLaughlin & Associates (R)February 9–12, 2026800 (LV)±3.5%29%26%36%9%Pulse Decision Science (R)February 8–11, 2026800 (LV)±3.5%27%15%36%22%Peak Insights (R)February 3–8, 20261,000 (LV)±3.0%29%25%31%15%Pulse Decision Science (R)February 1–3, 2026801 (LV)±3.5%26%18%34%22%J.L. Partners (R)January 31 – February 3, 2026600 (LV)±4.0%26%26%27%21%Ragnar Research Partners (R)January 29 – February 1, 2026 (LV)31%24%29%16%University of Houston/YouGovJanuary 20–31, 2026550 (LV)±4.2%31%17%38%2%12%Emerson CollegeJanuary 10–12, 2026550 (LV)±4.1%26%16%27%2%29%Harper Polling (R)January 5–7, 2026600 (LV)±4.0%26%23%31%20%Deep Root Analytics (R)January 5–11, 2026 (LV)29%19%26%26%Pulse Decision Science (R)December 14–17, 2025809 (LV)±3.4%38%16%38%8%1892 Polling (R)December 4, 2025 (LV)28%19%29%24%McLaughlin & Associates (R)December 1–4, 2025800 (LV)±3.4%27%28%33%12%J.L. PartnersDecember 1–3, 2025600 (LV)±4.0%24%24%29%23%co/efficient (R)December 1–3, 20251,022 (LV)±3.07%28%19%27%26%Public Policy Polling (D)December 1–2, 2025527 (LV)22%22%32%24%Peak Insights (R)November 20–25, 2025600 (LV)±4.0%35%18%33%14%Stratus Intelligence (R)November 21–22, 2025857 (LV)±3.3%25%26%36%13%Ragnar Research Partners (R)November 13–16, 2025758 (LV)±4.0%32%21%31%16%Stratus Intelligence (R)November 4–6, 2025811 (LV)±4.6%27%26%34%13%Harper Polling (R)October 28–30, 2025614 (LV)±4.0%26%24%25%25%Hunt Research (R)October 6–10, 20251,097 (LV)±2.96%24%19%28%29%Stratus Intelligence (R)October 4–6, 2025 (V)31%24%34%11%Peak Insights (R)October 2025600 (LV)±4.0%34%19%36%11%University of Houston/Texas Southern UniversitySeptember 19 – October 1, 2025576 (RV)±4.1%33%22%34%11%Deep Root Analytics (R)September 22–28, 20251,142 (LV)33%21%28%18%UT TylerSeptember 17–24, 2025492 (RV)±3.1%29%14%31%26%Ragnar Research Partners (R)September 20–22, 2025760 (LV)±3.6%32%17%31%20%Stratus Intelligence (R)September 14–16, 2025842 (V)rowspan="2" 28%23%38%11%38%23%39%colspan="2" Stratus Intelligence (R)August 24–26, 2025 (V)28%23%38%11%Stratus Intelligence (R)August 4–6, 2025 (V)29%23%37%11%Texas Southern UniversityAugust 6–12, 20251,500 (LV)±2.5%30%22%35%13%Stratus Intelligence (R)July 16–18, 2025 (V)32%15%38%15%G1 ResearchLate June 202528%17%41%14%Stratus Intelligence (R)June 22–23, 2025 (V)28%17%41%14%Pulse Decision Science (R)June 17–22, 2025806 (LV)±3.5%32%13%49%7%Stratus Intelligence (R)June 8–10, 2025 (V)28%12%47%13%YouGov/Texas Southern UniversityMay 9–19, 2025510 (LV)±4.3%27%15%34%24%Quantus Insights (R)May 11–13, 2025600 (RV)±4.4%38%16%46%colspan="2" American Opportunity Alliance (R)April 29 – May 1, 2025800 (LV)±3.5%27%14%43%16%Stratus Intelligence (R)April 29–30, 2025 (V)27%18%40%15%The Tarrance Group (R)April 27 – May 1, 202534%19%44%colspan="2" Stratus Intelligence (R)April 15–17, 2025 (V)26%18%42%14%Stratus Intelligence (R)March 23–25, 2025 (V)26%13%46%15%

John Cornyn vs. Ronny Jackson vs. Chip Roy Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JohnCornyn RonnyJackson ChipRoy UndecidedCWS Research (R)October 19–23, 2022823 (RV)±3.4%35%14%18%33%

John Cornyn vs. "Someone Else" Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JohnCornyn SomeoneElse UndecidedVictory Insights (R)January 4–6, 2025600 (LV)±4.0%35%40%25%

Results