Key facts
- Sen. John Cornyn declined to say whether he voted for Ken Paxton, calling his vote a private matter.
- Cornyn said Paxton's "corruption" was a major reason he lost the Texas Senate race to Democrat James Talarico.
- Cornyn argued Texas did not "turn blue" and that voters favored Talarico as a candidate over Paxton.
- Cornyn met with Talarico on Capitol Hill on November 9, 2026, and said his successor deserves "a chance" to succeed.
- Cornyn advised Talarico to resist pressure from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to vote along party lines.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) declined to say on November 9, 2026 whether he voted for Ken Paxton, the Republican who defeated him in a Texas Senate primary run-off election, and said Paxton's "corruption" was a major reason Cornyn lost the general election to Democrat James Talarico.
"The Republican Party treated corruption, particularly in the person of Paxton, as just a normal thing. And I think that was vehemently rejected" by voters, Cornyn said. Asked whether he voted for Paxton, Cornyn replied: "My vote is a private matter."
Cornyn argued the Democratic victory in the Texas Senate race did not mean Texas had "turned blue" or aligned with the Democratic Party on policy. He said the result was largely driven by voters preferring Talarico as a candidate, along with the president's "poor approval rating," and that the state had not shifted ideologically or philosophically.
Cornyn met with Talarico on Capitol Hill on November 9 and said his successor deserves "a chance" to be successful, calling him a "decent" person. He said he advised Talarico to resist pressure from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to vote frequently along party lines, arguing that would imperil his chances of being re-elected. "He's going to be on the ballot in six years in a red state," Cornyn said.
Cornyn did not endorse Paxton in the general election, though he pledged to support the GOP ticket in Texas.