Cruz staying neutral in Cornyn, Paxton runoff

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The Hill's Headlines — March 4, 2026

The Hill's Headlines — March 4, 2026

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Wednesday that he plans to stay neutral in the heated GOP primary for Senate in Texas after the race was projected to head to a May runoff.

Cruz’s Texas colleague, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), advanced alongside Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in Tuesday’s primary after neither candidate got over the threshold needed to avoid a runoff. 

Cruz’s decision to stay neutral comes amid the looming possibility of an endorsement from President Trump, who won Texas by double digits in 2024 and has so far stayed out of the contest, despite endorsing in a slate of other Lone Star State contests. 

Trump on Wednesday teased that he would endorse in the GOP Senate race “soon” and said he plans to ask the rival candidate to then drop out. 

Trump on Truth Social said that both Cornyn and Paxton “ran great races, but not good enough” and that “now, this one, must be PERFECT!” 

“I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!”

Across the aisle, Democrat James Talarico emerged victorious from a contentious primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). 

Republicans have long controlled all statewide offices in Texas, and whoever wins the GOP nod is still favored to win in November — but growing momentum on the Democratic side has ramped up Republican efforts to rally their base. 

Operatives have drawn parallels to the 2018 midterms, when Democrat Beto O’Rourke came within three points of ousting Cruz that cycle. 

Cruz won his 2024 reelection bid by roughly 8 points against former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who briefly ran for Senate again this cycle before dropping out and running for the House. 

Al Weaver contributed.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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