High-stakes Texas primary comes down to wire with both Republican and Democratic candidates on edge

A heated U.S. Senate race in Texas entered its final stretch on Sunday with candidates on both sides of the aisle making final pitches to voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary, the nation’s first big contest of the 2026 midterm elections.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is trying to avoid being the first Republican senator from Texas to lose a primary, fighting challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

And yet, Cornyn’s schedule was very light, as he spoke at a San Antonio church with little notice, where he held private meetings and was raising money, campaign aides said.

Democrats, hungry to win a Senate race for the first time since 1988, see an opening, but have their own knotty race to figure out.

U.S Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the rhetorical brawler and regular antagonist for President Donald Trump, is stressing her federal experience, reminding voters that she has brought millions of dollars in federal funding back to her district.

“So yes, I will clash with folk when it’s time to do so but I actually govern as well,” Crockett said during a church stop Sunday.

She also gave a nod to the Black women she described as the core of her support, in Texas and nationally.........

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