Texas 2026 runoff takeaways: Trump effect in full force on election night

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Former US President Donald Trump makes a speech as he attends the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, United States on February 24, 2024. (Celal Gunes

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AUSTIN, Texas - Texans have spoken and, in the wake of the primary runoffs, it's clear that they're calling for change and a shift in the establishment, particularly on the Republican side.

Trump's endorsement pushes candidates over the top

What we know:

One of the biggest shifts in the Texas political landscape came in the voters' decision to select Attorney General Ken Paxton as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, ousting four-term incumbent John Cornyn.

In his victory speech, Paxton credited President Donald Trump for the victory.

What they're saying:

"When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he gave his complete and total endorsement," Paxton said. "President Trump is the leader of our party and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics."

Trump's endorsement of Paxton came late in the election cycle, with the president choosing sides last week during early voting.

The president's endorsement has carried tremendous weight in Texas during the midterms.

Candidates endorsed by the president won 25 of 28 primary contests for U.S. Congressional seats in March. Of the three who did not win, all were decided during Tuesday night's runoffs.

Trump-endorsed Alex Mealer defeated state Rep. Briscoe Cain and Jon Bonck defeated Shelly deZevallos in the Harris County-anchored 9th and 38th Congressional Districts, respectively.

In San Antonio's 35th Congressional District, Carlos De La Cruz was victorious over John Lujan despite receiving fewer votes than Lujan in March's primary.

Other candidates rode Trump's coattails to victory

While some candidates received an election boost from the commander-in-chief, others positioned themselves as the closest aligned to the president without an official endorsement.

In the Republican attorney general runoff, state Sen. Mayes Middleton referenced himself as "MAGA Mayes Middleton" in campaign ads, touting his loyalty to Trump and the MAGA agenda and blasting his opponent, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, saying he "betrayed MAGA."

Roy hasn't been in lockstep with Trump, voting to certify the 2020 presidential election and saying Trump demonstrated "clearly impeachable conduct." The congressman was also among the first to call for Paxton to resign as attorney general in the face of allegations the attorney general committed bribery and abused the office. Those accusations eventually led the Paxton's impeachment and acquittal in the Texas legislature.

Middleton heads into November to face a familiar face in state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who won his runoff Tuesday against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

MAGA loyalty was also too much to overcome in the race for the Republican nomination for railroad commissioner.

Bo French toppled incumbent Jim Wright to earn the nomination. The former Tarrant County GOP chair focused his campaign on fighting against DEI and immigration and not the oil and gas regulation that the office oversees.

French's alignment as the most MAGA candidate was too much for Wright to overcome, even with endorsements from Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Democrats vote out 20-year representative

Republicans weren't the only ones that made changes to the status quo Tuesday night.

In Texas' 18th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Christian Menafee won the Democratic nomination over U.S. Rep. Al Green. 

Green has spent more than 20 years representing the state's 9th Congressional District and found himself in the newly redrawn 18th Congressional District against Menafee, who won a special election in January to finish the term of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025.