Texas GOP Senate race neck and neck with primary just days away, poll finds
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, left; U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, middle; and Texas AG Ken Paxton, right. All three are vying for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.
AUSTIN, Texas - Primary elections in Texas are Tuesday and latest polling shows a contentious Republican race in the U.S. Senate primary could head to a runoff.
A poll from the Texas Politics Project shows a close race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with Rep. Wesley Hunt also factoring into the race. The latest numbers show 36% of likely primary voters preferring Paxton, 34% Cornyn and 26% Hunt.
Paxton preferred choice for ‘extremely conservative’
Polled voters that identified as "extremely conservative" said they preferred Paxton over the other two main candidates. Paxton had the support of 41% of those polled, compared to 30% for Hunt and 27% for Cornyn.
All three candidates were relatively close among "somewhat conservative" voters, 36% for Paxton, 35%for Cornyn, 27%for Hunt.
Cornyn leads the way with 50% support from those who "lean conservative." Paxton pulled support from 33% and Hunt 17%.
Around half of Republican voters view Paxton, Cornyn favorably
Republican voters viewed Paxton (52%) and Cornyn (50%) favorably. Hunt's favorability came in at 39%. However, 32% of those polled said they either didn't know him or didn't have an opinion, compared to just 10% saying the same for Paxton and 11% for Cornyn.
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Crockett leads in Democratic Senate race
More than half of potential Democratic primary voters said they supported Crockett (56%), while 44% said they preferred Talarico.
The Texas Polling Project notes that the poll was conducted prior to Talarico's interview with Stephen Colbert, which could have brought more recognition to the state representative.
Among Democrats, Crockett sports a 71% favorability, while 59% view Talarico favorably. Among Democrats, 21% said they either had a neutral opinion or no opinion on Crockett, while 36% said the same for Talarico.
The Texas Polling Project noted that the number for Talarico has fallen from 60% in August 2025.
Republican Attorney General primary another likely runoff
The crowded Republican primary for the opportunity to replace Paxton as the state's attorney general is another race that could end in a runoff.
Polling shows Rep. Chip Roy (40%) with a slight lead over state Sen. Mayes Middleton (38%). State Sen. Joan Huffman (9%) and former assistant U.S. Attorney General Aaron Reitz (5%) were further off the pace and 8% of those polled said they'd prefer someone else.
On the Democratic side, Joe Jaworski was polling at 52%, while state Sen. Nathan Johnson came in with 28% and Tony Box at 10%.
Primary elections are on March 3.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Texas Politics Project.