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Paxton wins Texas Senate primary

News · Heat 5.3 / 10 · 5 shows · 20m airtime

Ken Paxton won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas on March 3, 2026, after Trump signaled an endorsement of incumbent John Cornyn and then backed off. Cornyn has since said he accepts the verdict of the seven percent of registered voters who voted in the runoff. Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton have endorsed him, and his estranged wife aired an ad arguing Republicans must hold every seat or hand Texas to the other team. Before Trump's PAC weighed in, James Tallarico led the race in fundraising; MAGA Inc. is now spending tens of millions, possibly over $100 million, to help Paxton, who has reportedly complained his campaign is being run out of DC.

How 5 podcasts covered it

  1. The NPR Politics Podcast, 2026-10-02 (5:15 to 6:52)
    Retells the Texas rally and donor tape
    Recaps Trump's Texas and Oklahoma rallies and the national environment, then drifts into Ohio, AI data centers and electricity costs. The Paxton material is a retelling of the rally and the leaked donor tape already on the record.
  2. Big Take, 2026-10-07 (1:48 to 3:14)
    Argues Paxton makes the seat winnable
    Lays out why Democrats see Paxton as the weaker Republican: the impeachment, the conduct questions, and Trump's on-again off-again endorsement of Cornyn. Frames the primary result as the reason the seat is now in play.
    New angle: Paxton won the Republican Senate primary after Trump backed off an endorsement of Cornyn.
  3. Big Take, 2026-10-07 (3:22 to 4:43)
    Recaps the impeachment and adds new endorsements
    Recaps the impeachment and Senate acquittal, then adds a new development: some Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton have since endorsed him, and his estranged wife has aired an ad urging voters to back the whole ticket without naming him.
    New angle: Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton have now endorsed him, and his estranged wife aired an ad backing the ticket.
  4. Big Take, 2026-10-07 (5:45 to 6:26)
    Adds the fundraising race before the PAC
    Adds the money side of the primary: Tallarico led fundraising until Trump's PAC stepped in, and Paxton spots now blanket Texas, football games included.
    New angle: Before Trump's PAC weighed in, James Tallarico led the Texas Senate race in fundraising.
  5. Big Take, 2026-10-07 (6:23 to 7:24)
    Puts a figure on the outside money
    Wingrove puts a figure on the outside money: MAGA Inc. held nearly half a billion dollars and is now spending tens of millions, possibly over $100 million, to help Paxton, with the map widening to Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, Alaska and Ohio.
    New angle: MAGA Inc. is spending tens of millions, possibly over $100 million, to help Paxton.
  6. Big Take, 2026-10-07 (7:19 to 8:08)
    Questions whether the money is working
    Turns to the strategic question of whether the money is working: a Republican says the votes are there if they spend enough to turn them out, and Paxton has reportedly complained the campaign is being run out of DC.
    New angle: Paxton has reportedly complained his campaign is being run out of DC.
  7. The Daily, 2026-10-15 (10:04 to 11:33)
    Plays the Angela Paxton ad and its closing line
    Plays the Angela Paxton spot and reads its closing line: hold every Republican seat or hand Texas to the other team. Adds the ad's actual pitch, which the earlier mention of the ad did not carry.
    New angle: The Angela Paxton ad says either Republicans hold every seat or they hand Texas to the other team.
  8. The NPR Politics Podcast, 2026-10-21 (0:26 to 3:31)
    Sets up the Texas races from Frisco
    Sets up the Texas races from Frisco: ad spending, lawn signs, the 2018 O'Rourke flashback and the 1994 drought. Cornyn's absence from the ticket and Republicans holding their nose for Paxton are recapped, not advanced.
  9. The Dan Bongino Show, 2026-10-24 (35:00 to 41:06)
    Plays Cornyn accepting the runoff verdict
    Plays Cornyn's post-primary interview and calls it a catastrophic error in judgment. The new material is Cornyn's own on-the-record framing: he accepts the verdict of the seven percent who voted in the runoff and says primary voters sit on the extremes of both parties.
    New angle: Cornyn said he accepts the verdict of the seven percent of registered voters who voted in the runoff.
  10. Today, Explained, 2026-10-29 (7:48 to 10:14)
    Adds Angela Paxton's vote-for-the-team speech
    Interviews the head of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, who says she is worried Republicans could lose a statewide race for the first time since the 1990s. Angela Paxton's 'Elephant in the Room' speech to the group's board, urging members to vote for the team despite moral failings, is on the record here.
    New angle: Angela Paxton told the Texas Federation of Republican Women's board to vote for the team despite candidates' moral failings.
Unpacking...