Staff Reports
The Texas primary runoffs are here — voter turnout day is May 26, 2026 — and nothing about this night is ordinary. A last‑week endorsement from President Donald Trump has shoved the U.S. Senate runoff into the national spotlight. A slew of other contests from attorney general to Railroad Commission are boiling over with endorsements, market moves and nasty headlines. If you care about conservative power in Texas, pay attention: these runoffs will tell us a lot about who runs the party and how serious our voters are about showing up when it counts.
Why the Paxton vs. Cornyn runoff matters
The headliner is plain: Senator John Cornyn vs. Attorney General Ken Paxton. President Trump endorsed Attorney General Ken Paxton in the final days before the runoff and prediction markets reacted like they’d been handed a cue. Polls were already close; the endorsement pushed Paxton even further into the lead in some markets. Cornyn’s argument — that Democrats could pick off the seat in November if Republicans nominate a fighter with baggage — is the usual “electability” sermon from the GOP establishment. Voters should weigh that claim, but remember runoffs are low‑turnout games. Endorsements and get‑out‑the‑vote muscle matter more than clever press releases.
Attorney General, House fights, and real consequences
Down the ballot, the attorney general runoff between Representative Chip Roy and State Senator Mayes Middleton is a test of Paxton‑style influence inside the party. Middleton has Paxton’s backing and some polling momentum, and that could decide who runs the state’s top law office if Paxton moves on. In Houston, Representative Al Green faces Representative Christian Menefee in a Democratic runoff that looks like a generational change — Menefee won a special election earlier this year and seems favored to hold the seat. These are not just inside‑the‑beltway squabbles. The officeholders who emerge will shape policy and messaging for years.
Controversy on the left and turf wars on the right
Some of the most dramatic headlines aren’t from Republicans. In the redrawn Texas 35th District Democratic runoff, Maureen Galindo has drawn fierce condemnation from House Democratic leaders and editorial boards over clearly antisemitic statements. Democrats are publicly urging voters to choose Johnny Garcia instead — which tells you how bad her comments were. On the Republican side, the De La Cruz vs. Lujan battle shows the split between MAGA influence and establishment favorites: President Trump backed Carlos De La Cruz while Governor Greg Abbott backed State Representative John Lujan. Over at the Railroad Commission, incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright has Gov. Abbott’s nod against Bo French, illustrating the same intra‑party tug‑of‑war on energy and culture issues.
What to watch tonight and why conservatives should care
Turnout is the X‑factor. Low turnout runoffs reward organized bases and big endorsements — which is why Trump’s Paxton endorsement mattered. Watch prediction markets, county returns, and who carries rural turnout into the evening. If conservatives sit this one out, we’ll lose ground not just for a primary prize but for November positioning and policy control on energy and law enforcement. So vote if you can, push friends and neighbors to vote, and don’t treat this as a warm‑up. These runoffs will shape Texas’s direction — and that is worth taking seriously, even if the political theater sometimes feels like a reality show.
