TEXAS — President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff in Texas, which is scheduled for May 26. Paxton faces Senator John Cornyn in the runoff after neither candidate secured a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote on social media in announcing the endorsement. In a separate post, he wrote, "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

On Truth Social, Trump also wrote that the runoff "MUST STOP NOW" so Republicans could focus on the general election against State Representative James Talarico, the Democratic nominee. Talarico won the Democratic nomination by defeating Representative Jasmine Crockett and another challenger. In the same post, he said the candidate without his approval must immediately drop out of the race.

At an event in Allen, Texas, Paxton supporters cheered and danced to "YMCA" when they learned of the endorsement. U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt finished third in the March 3 Republican primary and did not advance to the runoff.

Republicans and Democrats have spent over $100 million combined in the Texas Senate primary, making it the most expensive such contest in U.S. history. Paxton was acquitted in 2023 by the Texas Senate in an impeachment trial on corruption charges. In 2024, he reached a deal to end a long-running securities fraud case.