Texas primary runoff election: Ken Paxton, Christian Menefee win

Democratic and Republican primary candidates whose races were too close to call in March are vying for voter approval Tuesday as they seek spots on the November ballot for U.S. Senate, Texas attorney general, the 18th Congressional District and more. 

Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn lost to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a Republican primary race that gained more attention this month when President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton. 

Locally, Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, the former Harris County attorney, was elected in January to fill the remainder of the late Rep. Sylvester Turner's term in the 18th Congressional District and defeated longtime Rep. Al Green of the 9th Congressional District, who was running in the Democratic primary for the 18th District after his district was redrawn by the Texas Legislature last year.

Follow along below for live updates and analysis from Houston Chronicle reporters covering key state and local races in the Texas primary runoff election. 

Supporters packed themselves tightly in a circle around Letitia Plummer in Timbergrove’s Cactus Cove as results slowly poured in just before 10, showing she had a narrow 270-point lead over Annise Parker.

In her mid-party speech, Plummer made one thing clear.

“We have surpassed every single expectation,” she said. “We have done the work, we have met the people where they are, we have listened to what they want, we are giving what they need and we're giving them hope.”

It was an evening of no breaks for Plummer, who had been milling around the bar speaking to event goers. In her speech, she could hardly string words together as she excitedly thanked supporters.

“This is not over, y'all,” she said. “I'm not gonna sleep tonight, obviously.”

After Ken Paxton’s blowout U.S. Senate primary win, the GOP race for railroad commissioner was proving to be the nailbiter of the night. Bo French held a narrow lead over incumbent Commissioner Jim Wright late Tuesday.

French, who gained notoriety for making controversial statements about Jews and Muslims, improved his margins in several counties compared to his second-place finish in March, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro areas. But Wright kept it close as of 9 p.m., consolidating votes in Austin as well as most of the state’s rural counties.

A win for French would be a major setback for Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who have endorsed Wright as a steady hand on a commission that regulates the state’s vital oil and gas industries.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who hadn’t previously endorsed in the race, said that Paxton has his “full support.” 

“Ken is a fearless conservative who spent years taking on Texas’s toughest battles as Attorney General and has proven that he will always fight for and defend the Lone Star State,” Cruz said in a statement. “He will continue that fight in the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to fighting alongside him.”

He thanked Cornyn for his service, adding, “it’s time to unite to make sure that Texas stays Texas. James Talarico is radical, dangerous, and does not represent the values, ideas, or principles of the Lone Star State.”

Paxton, who has served three terms as the state's attorney general, bested Cornyn, who has served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years. He will go on to face Democrat James Talarico, and Austin state representative, in the November election. 

The election results flashed up on a pull down screen at Orlando Sanchez’s watch party at the Lymbar in Midtown, lingering until the small crowd gathered inside the restaurant belatedly began to cheer and whistle.

“Not even close,” one attendee said.

Later in the evening, Sanchez called on all Harris County Republicans to unite as they move toward the November election. Tonight, Sanchez said, is when the real work begins.

“This election is bigger than one party. This election is bigger than one campaign,” he said. “It is about the future of a place that we all call home.”

Sanchez called Harris County “one of the greatest counties in the nation,” and that its people worked hard, played by the rules, paid their taxes and expected the government to provide its basic services well. It wasn’t too much to ask, Sanchez said, but it seems as though county government had forgotten.

Sanchez added the county’s residents deserved to live in safe neighborhoods, have leaders who were prepared to address disasters and know where their tax dollars are going.

“The office of the county judge is not just another political office,” Sanchez said. It is the emergency desk. It is the budget desk. It is the place where county government either works or fails when people need it most. And I’m running because this county needs an adult in the room.”

Speaking to a crowd of supporters at Midtown bar Pour Behavior, Christian Menefee said President Donald Trump had told Gov. Greg Abbott to "carve up Black and brown districts in the state of Texas in order to strip us of our representation," pitting him and Green against each other.

"Congressman Green, brother, I want to give you your flowers," Menefee said. "I want to thank you for your service to people across Houston and Harris County."

After a 15-month campaign, Menefee said he had to be reminded that running was supposed to be hard.

"It's a district of legends. It's a district of icons. It's a district of fighters." he said. "So it's up to us to continue that legacy."

State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston continued his steady rise in Republican politics, defeating U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in Tuesday’s runoff for Texas attorney general and knocking the conservative congressman out of office.

The oil and gas attorney led in almost every major county, according to unofficial results. The Associated Press called the race shortly before 9 p.m.

Middleton, 44, who served two terms in the Texas House and one in the Senate, dubbed himself “MAGA Mayes” on the campaign trail to signal his allegiance to President Donald Trump and the GOP base, even though the president had remained neutral.

He will now face state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, who bested former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski in the Democratic runoff. 

— John C. Moritz and Megan Kimble

Darrell Jordan Jr., a former county misdemeanor judge credited as one of the principal minds behind the county’s cashless bail system, appeared poised to win the Democratic nomination for district clerk Tuesday.

Jordan held a staggering 45-point lead over his opponent, 23-year-old Alex Maldonado, in early voting results, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office. It’s a gap that will be difficult for Maldonado to bridge, as election day turnout is typically lower compared to the week of early voting that precedes it.

Maldonado was endorsed by outgoing District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, and would be the youngest district clerk in recent history, if elected.

Low turnout among Democrats, coupled with the runoff for the 18th Congressional District, could turn the race for Harris County judge in Letitia Plummer’s favor, Annise Parker said Tuesday evening.

Plummer’s performance in early voting showed a marked improvement over the March results, which saw Parker finish with a 9-point lead over her progressive counterpart. Parker remained optimistic, but she said she was slightly concerned about voter fatigue leading into election day.

“While I didn't think my opponent could beat me, low turnout absolutely could,” Parker said.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign named Orlando Sanchez the winner of the Republican runoff for Harris County judge in a post on social media.

It’s an early call — while Sanchez led by 30% in early voting results, election day ballots had yet to be tallied by around 8:20 p.m. Abbott’s campaign doubled down on his previous pledge to “turn Harris County red," saying he would work with Sanchez to flip the county come November.

Four-term U.S. Sen. John Cornyn acknowledged defeat to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican runoff Tuesday night, and quickly said he'd remain loyal to the GOP in the fall campaign.

"I've spent most of my time in the Senate building the Republican Party in Texas, and in the US Senate, and I've always supported the Republican ticket and will again in this general election," Cornyn told reporters at a downtown Austin hotel.

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee was quick to rally around U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, even though the party establishment had stoutly backed incumbent John Conryn's reelection.

"Congratulations to MAGA warrior Ken Paxton, who will be a relentless fighter for President Trump. Texas is Trump country and won't break a 32-year streak for a woke freak like James Talarico, who thinks there are six genders,"  RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. "Talarico will regret running for Senate by the time Republicans are done with him."

Democratic State Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin is her party’s nominee for lieutenant governor after she easily defeated labor organizer Marcos Velez Tuesday night.

The two candidates had broadly similar policy platforms but highlighted very different backgrounds, with Goodwin touting her experience serving seven terms in the Texas House as Velez leaned on his union ties.

Goodwin will now face Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has held the post since 2015.

Alex Mealer was all smiles Tuesday evening as she secured the Republican nomination for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District over state Rep. Briscoe Cain, thanking President Donald Trump for his "strong support" and vowing to carry her campaign's momentum into November's general election.

The district, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Green, was redrawn by Texas Republicans to shift farther east and as far north as Liberty County, making the territory newly ripe for Republicans hoping to flip the seat in November.

Mealer had won nearly 70% of the vote with about a half of precincts reporting as of 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. President Donald Trump, who endorsed Mealer ahead of the March primary, took to social media to declare Mealer the victor soon after the first results rolled in, as did Gov. Greg Abbott, who endorsed Cain.

"I appreciate everyone taking the time to vote, all the people here — the strong law enforcement presence and local officials — and very grateful for President Trump's support," Mealer said. "I see this as step one, my focus is obviously on November and hopefully winning then and having a chance to pass an agenda to help families here."

Dexter McCoy was leading the Democratic primary runoff for Fort Bend County judge Tuesday night over former congressional staffer Rachelle Carter in early returns.

McCoy, currently Fort Bend Precinct 4 County Commissioner, received the largest share of votes in a crowded March primary field but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. With mail ballots and early votes tallied, unofficial results showed McCoy with a wide margin over Carter.

The race unfolded against the backdrop of political turmoil in the county following former Fort Bend County Judge KP George’s conviction on felony money laundering charges. The winner of the Democratic runoff will face Republican Daniel Wong in the November general election.

Gov. Greg Abbott congratulated Ken Paxton for ousting U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday's GOP runoff election.

"Congratulations Ken Paxton on the resounding victory," Abbott, the state's Republican governor, wrote on social media. "Next, he will destroy Talarico and become the next US Senator from the state of Texas."

Democrats celebrated Paxton's win too, seeing him as the weaker candidate to go up against Democrat James Talarico, an Austin state representative, in November.

“Ken Paxton has spent decades in office abusing his power to serve special interests and enrich himself at Texans’ expense — and in November, we’re going to put a stop to his corruption," Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said in a statement.

Early voting results delivered a blow to supporters of Annise Parker gathered at Birdie’s Den Tuesday evening.

Letitia Plummer and Parker were neck-and-neck in early voting results, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office. That came as a surprise to those gathered at the southwest Houston bar, many of whom were there when Parker posted a comfortable lead in early voting results ahead of the March primary.

While no ballots cast on election day had been tallied by around 7:45 p.m., concerns swirled that high turnout driven by the Congressional District 18 race may turn the race in Plummer’s favor.

“I think we're a bit surprised, just like everyone that's here,” said Alejandra Peimbert, communications director for Parker’s campaign. “We didn't expect that, but at the same time it could be a surge of voters for the congressional election. So the night is still young, and we're waiting to see the votes that come in front of it.”

It’s a theory supported by Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston. She said high turnout among Black voters motivated by the CD-18 runoff could play in Plummer’s favor.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton held a decisive lead in early vote totals as he vied to beat U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in the Republican runoff for Texas attorney general.

Middleton, 44, who served two terms in the Texas House and a four-year-term in the Senate, dubbed himself “MAGA Mayes” on the campaign trail to signal his allegiance to President Donald Trump and the GOP base.

The oil and gas attorney led in almost every major county, according to unofficial results.

Jon Bonck, a mortgage banker with the backing of President Donald Trump, declared victory in his race for the GOP nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

The race, based around wealthy suburbs to the west of Houston, had yet to be called. But Bonck was leading by a significant margin over former Harris County GOP vice chair Shelley deZevallos.

Bonck is endorsed by Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. The GOP nominee is expected to win this deeply red county in November.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated veteran U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff Tuesday, toppling the four-term incumbent in a fierce duel that centered on who was more loyal to President Donald Trump.

Paxton will now face off against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November election, setting up what is expected to be one of the most competitive general elections in Texas since the 1990s. 

Annise Parker and Letitia Plummer were neck-and-neck in early voting results Tuesday evening in the Democratic primary runoff election for Harris County judge.

On the Republican side, longtime Houston-area politician Orlando Sanchez held a wide lead over political newcomer Warren Howell.

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee defeated U.S. Rep. Al Green on Tuesday in the Democratic runoff for Texas’ newly redrawn 18th Congressional District, emerging from one of the most unusual and congressional contests in recent Houston political history.

Because the district remains heavily Democratic, Menefee is now heavily favored to win the seat outright in the November general election.

The race capped more than a year of political upheaval surrounding the district following the deaths of longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner who succeeded Jackson Lee in Congress but died just two months into his term.

Menefee’s watch party was in full swing as the race was called in his favor. The music was loud and campaign staff and supporters danced.

Early results showed Menefee, 38, with 63% of the votes in Fort Bend County and a 70% lead in Harris County. Green, 78, won Fort Bend during the March primary which propelled the race into a runoff.

Michael Vouffo, 21-year-old recent graduate of the University of Texas, said he wasn’t surprised about Menefee’s early lead.

“A lot of people in my generation a very disappointed with our current members of Congress,” Vouffo said. “There is no aspect of adult life right now that is easy.”

The Cornyn campaign's election night headquarters is a double meeting room in the downtown Austin JW Marriott hotel.

But it's more of a media filing center than a campaign celebration. Nearly everyone in the room is a reporter or a campaign hand. No supporters sipping wine or sampling finger foods. Therefore, the is little or no reaction to the early returns showing Attorney General Ken Paxton with the lead.

Annise Parker’s supporters gathered at Birdies Den Tuesday evening to await the results of the Democratic runoff for Harris County judge.

An atmosphere of nervous enthusiasm hung over the Montrose bar as campaign volunteers, staffers and supporters chatted in small groups while they awaited Parker’s arrival. One campaign volunteer, 68-year-old Ann Cook, said she felt optimistic that Parker would win the nomination.

Cook, who works in marketing, said Parker’s tenure as mayor inspired her to volunteer for the campaign.

“I thought she had great leadership qualities,” Cook said. “I thought she was very smart and deliberate in what she did, and she was consistent, and so I just figured she would be the right person for the job.”

Parker is expected to arrive around 7:30 p.m.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took an early lead in Tuesday’s GOP runoff, winning a majority of the early vote in Tarrant and Harris counties and in his home base of Collin County.

He won 62% of those votes, with 45,000 ballots counted, in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

In Tarrant County, Paxton was ahead 59% to 41% among early voters.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn told CNN on Tuesday that a win by Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP runoff would cost the party “hundreds of millions” as it tries to hold the majority.

“That’s money that could be and should be better spent in places like Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and New Hampshire,” Cornyn said. “If the Texas Senate seat is in jeopardy, that really jeopardizes our majority, because it will take away necessary resources to win these other seats that we’re depending on to maintain the majority, and perhaps grow it.”

That was an argument GOP leaders in D.C. made as they pushed unsuccessfully for President Donald Trump to throw his support behind the four-term Senator. Trump endorsed Paxton last week, calling Cornyn “VERY disloyal.”

Fort Bend County officials said polls would still close at 7 p.m. despite calls to extend voting hours after a software glitch prevented voters from checking in at polling places countywide Tuesday afternoon.

Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong said voting hours could only be extended if the chairs of both the Republican and Democratic parties agreed. Republican Party Chair Greg Barnes said Republicans supported extending voting hours because of the disruption, but Democrats did not support the request.

Democratic Party Chair Jennifer Cantu could not be reached for comment.

Fort Bend County Elections Administrator Chase Wilson said without agreement from both parties, county officials could not move forward with several candidates' request to extend voting.

Wilson reiterated, however, that any voters in line at 7 p.m. can cast ballots.

The estranged wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton used the primary runoff election to make several endorsements on the Republican ballot.

But the race for U.S. Senate was conspicuously absent.

Angela Paxton, who succeeded her husband in the Texas Senate after he won his first statewide race in 2014, urged her own supporters to cast ballots for her Texas Senate colleague Mayes Middleton in the attorney general's race, incumbent Jim Wright for Railroad Commissioner and Thomas Smith for a place on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Sen. Angela Paxton last year drew statewide and national headlines when she filed for divorce "on biblical grounds" from her husband, whose extramarital dalliance became part of the 2023 impeachment of Ken Paxton by the Texas House. The Senate acquitted him on a range of charges that he had committed fraud and had abused his office.

More than 820,000 Texans voted early in the GOP primary runoff, more than triple the number of voters that turned out for early voting in the Republican primary runoff in 2024, according to state election data.

The surge in early voting comes as two high-profile statewide races are set to be decided on Tuesday night. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is facing off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP runoff for U.S. Senate, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and state Sen. Mayes Middleton are competing to be the Republican nominee for Texas attorney general.

In Harris County alone, more than 76,000 Republican voters turned out for the runoff, more than in 2012, when Ted Cruz won the GOP contest for U.S. Senate over former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

In the immediate aftermath of the March 3 primary, Cornyn's campaign released a memo making its case that the senator was well-positioned to beat Paxton in the runoff, predicting the election would be "high-turnout" despite "conventional wisdom."

In 2022, when Paxton beat former Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush in the runoff for Texas Attorney General, 932,000 total votes were cast, half of them in early voting.

Democrats will choose between former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Letitia Plummer, a former at-large Houston City Council member. On the Republican side, Orlando Sanchez is seeking to return to Houston politics after an eight-year hiatus from office, while businessman Warren Howell hopes to make his political debut as the executive of the country’s third-largest county. 

As the chief executive of the county, the county judge manages the Office of Emergency Management and presides over Harris County Commissioners Court, which controls funding for infrastructure projects, county departments and elected offices.  

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico threw a political jab at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a video clip that reached hundreds of thousands of viewers on Tuesday.

In an interview with the independent news website MeidasTouch, Talarico defended himself against allegations of veganism while sneaking in a nod to the criminal charges Paxton has racked up since assuming his current office over a decade ago.

"I'm an 8th generation Texan — I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment, and if all they have on me is lying about me being a vegan, I feel pretty good about our chances this November," Talarico said.

Talarico, an Austin area state representative, defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for Sen. John Cornyn's current seat. Polls will close in about an hour in the Republican primary runoff featuring Paxton, who secured an endorsement from President Donald Trump shortly after early voting began last week, and Cornyn, the four-term incumbent.

Republicans, including Trump, have branded Talarico as a vegan since he's emerged as the Democratic pick in the U.S. Senate election.

Fort Bend County voting centers went offline Tuesday afternoon after a software issue disrupted the county’s voter check-in system during the primary runoff election, forcing some polling locations to pause operations and offer provisional ballots while technicians worked to restore service.

Fort Bend County Elections Administrator Chase Wilson could not be reached for comment but told KHOU the outage stemmed from a faulty file connected to a software update that caused systems at voting centers across the county to shut down.

Wilson said the issue affected voter check-in operations, not the voting machines themselves, and stressed that the integrity of ballots already cast was not compromised.

Voters across Fort Bend County reported delays and confusion at polling places as the systems went down mid-afternoon. Some residents said they were offered provisional ballots while election workers attempted to restore service. Others reported certain locations temporarily lacked access to provisional ballots during the outage.

As a “Get out to Vote” rally for U.S. Rep. Al Green is underway at Greater Harvest Church Houston, voters are casting ballots across the street at the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center. Among those voters on Tuesday evening was Arral Spriggs, who cast her ballot for Green’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee. 

She said she felt it was time for a change. 

“There are a lot of young, up-and-coming politicians and business people that need to have the opportunity to fill those spaces that they are qualified to fill with some new ideas,” Spriggs said.

Outside the center, Michelle Lee-Davis said she was excited to cast her vote for Menefee. 

“Al Green has been amazing,” Lee-Davis said. “But I think it's time for a new frontrunner to come up.” 

Tuesday’s election marks the fourth Election Day in less than a year for CD-18, with the voters deciding whether Green or Menefee will represent the newly drawn district. 

“Redistricting has played a huge impact on our communities,” she said.

The election caps a political saga that began with the death of longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in 2024, followed months later by the death of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who succeeded Jackson Lee in Congress but died just two months into his term. While the seat sat vacant, Texas Republican lawmakers approved a redistricting plan that dramatically reshaped Houston-area congressional boundaries. 

Menefee won a January special election held under the district’s previous boundaries to complete the remainder of Turner’s unfinished term, which expires at the end of this year. But a month before, both Menefee and Green filed for the March Democratic primary under the new district lines, then advanced to Tuesday’s runoff as the two top finishers in the primary. 
The winner on Tuesday will advance to November for the chance to serve the district for a full two-year term beginning in January 2027. 

President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last Tuesday, dealing a blow to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s reelection bid just after early voting began.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

Republicans on both sides of the race had been urging Trump for months to jump in with an endorsement, arguing in part that a drawn-out primary fight would only help the Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico. 

Our Voter Guide has everything you need to navigate the high-profile races on the primary runoff ballot, including the Republican Senate showdown between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, along with endorsements from the editorial board.

Use the guide to filter races by party, enter your address to see only the contests and measures on your ballot, and make your selections so you can email them to yourself or print them out before heading to the polls.