Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is projected to win the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas, defeating longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, according to projections reported by CBS News on May 10. The projected result follows an endorsement of Paxton by former President Donald Trump in the primary runoff.
CBS News reported that Paxton was on track to secure the GOP nomination, which would position him as the Republican candidate in the November general election and end Cornyn’s current tenure in the Senate if the result is confirmed.
What the projections show
CBS News, citing election returns from the Texas Republican runoff, projected Paxton as the winner over Cornyn in the party’s Senate contest. The outlet described the result as a defeat for the sitting senator and a projected victory for the state’s attorney general.
The projection indicates that Republican primary voters favored Paxton over Cornyn in the runoff round, which is held when no candidate wins a required threshold in the initial primary. While detailed vote counts and margins were not provided in the available reporting, CBS News framed the outcome as a clear projected win for Paxton.
Independent confirmation from additional outlets was limited at the time of the CBS News report, and further official results from Texas election authorities will provide the definitive outcome. The projected result, however, is being treated as the working expectation for the GOP Senate nomination.
Role of Trump’s endorsement
CBS News reported that Trump endorsed Paxton in the Texas GOP Senate primary runoff. The endorsement came before the runoff vote and aligned the former president with the state attorney general against the sitting senator.
The report linked Trump’s backing to Paxton’s projected success in the runoff, noting that the endorsement was a significant factor in the race. While the CBS News account did not quantify the exact impact of the endorsement on vote totals, it presented the support as an important part of Paxton’s path to the projected victory.
What this means for the Senate seat
If the projection holds and Paxton is formally certified as the Republican nominee, he will face the Democratic nominee in the November general election for the Texas U.S. Senate seat currently held by Cornyn. CBS News reported the projection as a defeat for the incumbent, implying that Cornyn would not appear on the ballot as the GOP candidate in November if the results are confirmed.
The shift would mark a change in who represents Texas Republicans in the Senate race, with Paxton moving from his current statewide office as attorney general into a bid for federal office. Cornyn, who has served multiple terms in the Senate, would see his current reelection effort halted at the primary stage under the projected outcome described by CBS News.
Evidence and what to watch next
The central facts in this report—that Paxton is projected to win the Texas Republican Senate runoff against Cornyn and that Trump endorsed Paxton in the primary—are drawn from CBS News’ May 10 event-focused reporting. That outlet is, at this stage, the primary source publicly projecting the race in Paxton’s favor.
CBS News noted Paxton’s projected win and framed it as a defeat for Cornyn in the Republican runoff. The report also highlighted Trump’s endorsement as part of the story of how the race unfolded.
Because independent corroboration from additional major outlets was limited at the time of that report, readers should expect more detailed vote tallies, official certifications from Texas election authorities, and further coverage from other news organizations as the count is finalized. Those subsequent updates will clarify the final margin, confirm the official nominee, and outline the next steps in the general election campaign.
Why this development matters
The projected outcome matters because it determines who will carry the Republican banner for a U.S. Senate seat from Texas, a state with a large population and a significant role in national politics. As reported by CBS News, Paxton’s projected win over an incumbent senator signals a change in who is likely to appear on the November ballot for the GOP.
If confirmed by official results, the projection sets up a general election campaign with Paxton as the Republican candidate and concludes Cornyn’s current primary effort. Voters, party officials, and public institutions in Texas will now look to the final certified results and the formal start of the general election phase to see how the race for the Senate seat proceeds.
