Incumbent John Cornyn (R), Wesley Hunt (R), Ken Paxton (R), and 10 other candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. As of October 2025, Cornyn, Hunt, and Paxton led in polling, fundraising, endorsements, and media attention.
The Texas Tribune‘s Gabby Birenbaum described the primary as “expensive and brutal. Cornyn, a 23-year veteran of the Senate, has been in hot water with the Republican base over his efforts to pass a bipartisan gun safety bill in 2022 and past comments casting doubt on Trump’s political durability.” Roll Call‘s Nathan L. Gonzales said the race is”an example of how data can be presented to paint whatever picture you want to see…Trump remains a wild card. His support is often the difference maker in Republican primaries, but he hasn’t made a decision in this race.”
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the primary vote, then the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on May 26, 2026. Writing after Hunt joined the race in October 2025, the Associated Press‘ Thomas Beaumont said that “Hunt’s entry into the race raises the potential of a runoff for the GOP nomination.”
Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002. He earlier served as state attorney general and on the Texas Supreme Court. Cornyn said he had delivered for Texas while in office and was running for re-election “so President Trump and I can pick-up where we left off.” The Texas Tribune‘s Owen Dahlkamp described Cornyn’s strategy as “going all in on emphasizing his support for Trump — something he has been previously wary to do — to court the MAGA base that will be key to winning.” Cornyn’s campaign website says he has a “more than 99.2% voting record with President Trump — higher than Ted Cruz.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R) and the National Border Patrol Council endorsed Cornyn.
Hunt has represented the 38th Congressional District since 2022. He is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a former loan officer. The Texas Tribune‘s Gabby Birenbaum described Hunt’s strategy as “pressing the case that he would carry stronger appeal than Cornyn among the MAGA-dominated primary base, while bringing none of Paxton’s political baggage to the general election.” Hunt says he is running because “nothing is more worth fighting for than our great country and our Texas values.” U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R) endorsed Hunt.
Paxton has served as Texas Attorney General since 2015. He was also a member of the Texas House for ten years and of the Texas Senate for two. The Texas Tribune‘s Jasper Scherer described Paxton’s run as “the latest flashpoint in a power struggle between the Texas GOP’s hardline, socially conservative wing — which views Paxton as a standard-bearer — and the Cornyn-aligned, business-minded Republican old guard.” Paxton’s campaign website says that both “President Trump and Ken Paxton have been targeted in politically motivated witch hunts because there’s nothing that scares the establishment more than courageous conservatives who never back down from standing up for the American people.” U.S. Reps. Lance Gooden (R) and Troy Nehls (R) endorsed Paxton.
Also running in the primary are Andrew Alvarez (R), Ronald Evans (R), Matthew Elliot Kelley (R), and Leo Wyatt (R).
As of October 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the general election Likely Republican. In the 2024 election, incumbent Ted Cruz (R) defeated Colin Allred (D) 53%–45%. In 2020, Cornyn defeated M.J. Hegar (D) 54%–44%.
Virgil Bierschwale (R), Alexander Duncan (R), Gulrez Khan (R), Rennie Mann (R), Tony Schmoker (R), and Andrew Trakas (R) completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.