{"id":2607144,"date":"2026-05-26T22:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T22:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:23:33","slug":"ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/","title":{"rendered":"Paxton Unseats Cornyn In Blowout Defeat For Establishment GOP"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2607144&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated incumbent U.S. Sen.John cornyn in the Tuesday primary runoff, a result framed as a rebuke of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/betrayed-from-within-patrick-byrne-blasts-white-house-staff-after-attending-election-meeting-with-president-trump-sydney-powell-and-gen-flynn\/\" title=\"\u201cBetrayed From Within\u201d: Patrick Byrne Blasts White House Staff After Attending Election Meeting With President Trump, Sydney Powell and Gen. Flynn\">republican establishment<\/a>. The article says Paxton won decisively (about 64% to 36% with most votes counted) after the March primary failed to produce a majority.<\/p>\n<p>It attributes much of Paxton\u2019s momentum to his push for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alaska-conservatives-fight-against-ranked-choice-voting\/\" title=\"Alaska Conservatives Fight Against \u201cRanked Choice&quot; Voting\">election-integrity legislation<\/a> known as the \u201cSAVE America Act,\u201d and his stance on ending the filibuster. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton shortly before the runoff, arguing the bill is supported by broad polling but has stalled in the Senate because GOP leadership has rejected passing it via alternatives such as a \u201ctalking filibuster.\u201d The piece also claims Paxton was willing to tie his political decisions to Senate leadership agreeing to lift filibuster obstacles and move the legislation forward, while Cornyn had been more hesitant.<\/p>\n<p>The defeat is presented as part of a broader pattern of Trump-backed candidates and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >primary voters challenging establishment republicans<\/a> in recent weeks, including earlier losses among GOP incumbents and lawmakers. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indicted-dem-chokes-up-on-senate-floor-over-his-spoiled-golden-jubilee\/\" title=\"Democrat indicted ...ator becomes emotional on ...ate floor over his extravagant &#039;Golden Jubilee\">article closes<\/a> by noting that Paxton\u2019s win has intensified internal GOP tensions over leadership priorities and responses to the president\u2019s position.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qzO__HorPQY>  C-Span\/ Youtube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/26\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Ken Paxton Unseats John Cornyn In Latest Blowout Defeat For Establishment GOP&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/26\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Ken Paxton Unseats John Cornyn In Latest Blowout Defeat For Establishment GOP&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/26\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/26\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Ken Paxton Unseats John Cornyn In Latest Blowout Defeat For Establishment GOP&#038;body= The race was largely viewed as a referendum on establishment Republicans&#039; reluctance to deliver wins like the Save America Act.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/26\/ken-paxton-unseats-john-cornyn-in-latest-blowout-defeat-for-establishment-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ousted incumbent Sen. John Cornyn during Tuesday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-republican-leader-slams-marjorie-taylor-greene-a-cancer-for-the-republican-party\/\" title=\"Top Republican Leader Slams Marjorie Taylor Greene: A \u2018Cancer For The Republican Party\u2019\">primary election<\/a>, in a blowout that punished not just Cornyn but the Republican establishment he represents. The race had been largely viewed as a referendum on establishment Republicans\u2019 reluctance to deliver on popular initiatives like election integrity.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of reporting, Paxton had received nearly 64 percent of the vote compared to Cornyn\u2019s 36 percent, with 65 percent of the vote in, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/live\/election-primary-texas-runoff-05-26-2026\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-661290152\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the runoff after neither candidate secured a majority during the March primary. Paxton received President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement just days before the runoff. <\/p>\n<p>The Texas attorney general is a \u201cStrong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER and, very importantly, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, something which polls at 87%, including Dumocrats, and yet can\u2019t seem to get approved,\u201d Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116602192066577324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> on Truth Social last Tuesday. The Save America Act would <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/16\/exclusive-chip-roy-lays-out-how-senate-can-vote-on-save-act-without-nuking-filibuster\/\">require<\/a> proof of citizenship to register to vote and implement voter ID requirements, two provisions that voters overwhelmingly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/voting-process-photo-id-opinion-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support<\/a>. The bill, however, has languished in the Republican-led Senate since passing the House, as GOP leadership rejected calls to pass the bill by employing a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/17\/what-the-wall-street-journal-gets-wrong-about-the-talking-filibuster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">talking filibuster<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the initial March primary, Paxton <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> on X that he would \u201cconsider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.\u201d Cornyn had initially <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expressed<\/a> reluctance to use a talking filibuster to pass the legislation. Following pressure from Paxton and the president, Cornyn released an op-ed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/texas\/news\/save-america-act-texas-gop-senate-primary-john-cornyn-ken-paxton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voicing<\/a> support for \u201cwhatever changes\u201d to Senate rules might be \u201cnecessary\u201d to pass the legislation \u2014 even though a talking filibuster requires no rule changes. <\/p>\n<p>Paxton\u2019s move worked: it showed he was willing to sacrifice his own chance of victory for the election integrity legislation, and it put a spotlight on Senate Republicans\u2019 refusal to get the flagship bill over the finish line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPerhaps Ken can help move these important elements of Government forward,\u201d Trump wrote in his endorsement of Paxton. The <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/20\/rino-crash-out-over-trumps-paxton-endorsement-shows-how-much-the-gop-hates-its-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">endorsement<\/a> reportedly infuriated other establishment Republicans, such as Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was overheard <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AndrewDesiderio\/status\/2056779449694114187?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">making<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LauraEWeiss16\/status\/2056811040919204216?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">snide remarks<\/a> about the president\u2019s refusal to back Cornyn. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the chief Republican responsible for doing nothing to pass the Save America Act, called Cornyn a \u201cprincipled conservative\u201d and doubled down on backing him.<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn\u2019s defeat comes less than two weeks after Louisiana incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, who once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/bill-cassidy-defends-vote-convict-trump-primary-loss-rcna345799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voted<\/a> to impeach Trump, was ousted by a Trump-backed candidate. And less than two weeks before that, Republican voters <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/06\/indiana-primaries-should-be-a-wakeup-call-for-senate-rinos-pass-the-save-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dealt<\/a> a resounding primary defeat to Indiana state legislators who refused to counter Democrat gerrymandering, a result widely seen as a blow to establishment Republicans and a victory for base voters. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/filibuster\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Filibuster<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">John Cornyn<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Ken Paxton<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/save-america-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SAVE America Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/talking-filibuster\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">talking filibuster<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/texas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas AG Ken Paxton beat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday\u2019s primary, a landslide seen as a rebuke to Republican establishment leaders and their reluctance to push election-integrity measures like the Save America Act<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2607145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-8.05.32-PM-scaled-e1779840444451-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[80309,80310,32321,32773,37104],"class_list":["post-2607144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-beto-orourke-2","tag-conservative-insurgency","tag-election-results","tag-gop-primary","tag-texas-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-8.05.32-PM-scaled-e1779840444451-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2607144"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607148,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607144\/revisions\/2607148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2607144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2607144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2607144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}