Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican runoff for US Senate, defeating longtime Sen. John Cornyn.
This was one of America’s most-watched contests, with US President Donald Trump endorsing Paxton in a bitter Senate primary runoff.
Cornyn, a four-term senator and former Republican whip, began the year as the establishment favourite.
But Trump's late endorsement of Paxton transformed the race, giving the Texas attorney general a major boost just days before the runoff.
Paxton has survived years of legal, ethical and personal scandal, including a 2023 impeachment by the Republican-led Texas House.
The 63-year-old was acquitted by the Texas Senate after his impeachment trial and has long cast the allegations against him as politically motivated.
Cornyn, by contrast, is a straight-laced institutional conservative who has represented Texas in the Senate since 2002 and built deep ties with the state's donor class and Republican leadership in Washington.
Trump praised Paxton in a weekend Truth Social post as a loyal fighter and "great attorney general," saying he had stood with "your favorite President, ME" -- and complained that Cornyn hadn't fought hard enough for the president's priorities.
Cornyn, a 74-year-old former judge who won the first round of voting in March but failed to secure a majority, has argued that Paxton could endanger what should be a safe Republican seat in a state that last elected a Democratic senator in 1988.
Paxton vs Talarico
Cornyn called himself an "ally" of Trump, despite the president's remarks -- and said he would fare better in November than Paxton could.
"Ken Paxton will be an albatross," Cornyn told Fox News. "He could well lose, but even if he doesn't lose, he will win by such a razor-thin margin that it's likely to have a negative drag on the down-ballot races."
But Paxton has surged since Trump's endorsement.
Paxton will face Democrat James Talarico, a state representative and rising national figure who has raised large sums and argues that both Republicans represent a broken political system tilted toward wealthy donors.
Republicans still start as favourites in Texas, which Trump carried by nearly 14 points in 2024.
However, Democrats see Paxton as the riskier nominee and believe his baggage could help them make a serious play for a statewide breakthrough.
