{"id":358059,"date":"2026-05-26T15:06:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T20:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/texas-senate-runoff-tests-trumps-influence"},"modified":"2026-05-26T15:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T20:06:56","slug":"texas-senate-runoff-tests-trumps-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/texas-senate-runoff-tests-trumps-influence","title":{"rendered":"Texas Senate runoff exams Trump’s affect"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Voters in Texas go to the polls on Tuesday to decide the Republican nominee in a pivotal Senate race that could decide control of the Senate — and serves as a test of President Donald Trump’s influence.<\/p>\n

Also on the ballot are several member-on-member matchups and a candidate, Maureen Galindo, who has already been condemned by top Democrats for her campaign’s controversial comments.<\/p>\n

Trump weighs in on Texas Senate race<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s last-minute endorsement<\/a> in the Texas Senate primary runoff race of Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn has shaken up a race that could become critical for the fight to control the Senate next year.<\/p>\n

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Sen. John Cornyn in Lubbock, Texas, May 19, 2026 and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Dallas, March 3, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cornyn narrowly led the field in March’s primary with 42% of the vote, followed by Paxton’s 40%, to make the runoff over GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt.<\/p>\n

This comes after Trump’s endorsement power was proven to prevail<\/a> in recent primaries — with the president successfully ousting non-endorsed incumbent Republicans this month, including Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And while Trump has praised Cornyn as a “good man,” he made clear that he feels the senator was “not supportive” enough in the past. Cornyn is also backed by the campaign arm of Senate Republicans and many of his Senate colleagues have stood by his side despite the president’s endorsement, citing their belief that Paxton\u2019s past controversies could put this safe Republican seat at risk.<\/p>\n

The bitter Republican battle is also the most expensive primary runoff, according to AdImpact, after the race already made history as the most expensive Senate primary election in March. According to AdImpact, $100 million has been spent in the primary and $25 million has been spent for the runoff.<\/p>\n

Texas House races<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Houston-area 18th Congressional District is no stranger to showing up to vote — this House seat has seen six elections in the last two years.<\/p>\n

The deaths of the last two members to represent the district, Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvester Turner, left the district without representation for large swaths of time. Rep. Christian Menefee, the current representative for the district, has only served in office for a few months after winning the seat in a special election.<\/p>\n

He faces off against Rep. Al Green, a longtime member of Congress, who represents the neighboring 9th District, which has been redrawn to favor Republicans.<\/p>\n

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Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Adobe Stock<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In Dallas, another contentious Democratic primary pits a current member against a former one. Redistricting of nearby districts has drawn top candidates into the primary for the state’s 33rd Congressional District: Rep. Julie Johnson, who currently represents the neighboring Texas\u2019 32nd Congressional District, and Former Rep. Colin Allred, who left that seat in 2024 to run for Senate.<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District features competitive runoffs on both the Republican and Democratic sides. The district was redrawn to favor Republicans, but Democrats hope low approval for Trump and a strong candidate could give them a fighting chance.<\/p>\n

Galindo, who came in first in the March Democratic\u00a0primary for the 35th District with 29% of the vote, has been the subject of major controversy for her campaign’s social media posts. A now-deleted Instagram post from her campaign read that Galindo will turn an ICE detention center “into a prison for American Zionists.” She has previously called for all candidates who take campaign contributions from Israel to be “tried for treason.\u201d While\u00a0she has not denied the comments,\u00a0she has added that\u00a0“putting billionaire Zionists in prison does not mean putting all Jews in internment camps.”<\/p>\n

She was condemned by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene, who said Galindo’s “vile language” is “disqualifying and has no place in American Politics.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The largest financial backer of Galindo’s campaign is a newly created Super PAC called “Lead Left.” Democrats have condemned Lead Left\u2019s involvement in the race and accused Republicans of being behind the PAC — with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and DelBene last week calling on House Republican leaders to stop “propping up” Galindo and “forcefully condemn” her comments.<\/p>\n

ABC News has reached out the National Republican Congressional Committee for comment.<\/p>\n

Galindo’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. She will face off against former Bexar County Sheriff’s Department Spokesman Johnny Garcia.<\/p>\n

State Rep. John Lujan and Trump-endorsed Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz are facing off in the Republican runoff for the 118th Congressional District. They received 32% and 26% of the vote in March\u2019s primary, respectively. Victory for Lujan could mark the first Trump-endorsed candidate to lose their primary this cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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