Ken Paxton receives majority of votes in all Valley counties during Republican Senate runoff 

Ken Paxton won a majority of the vote in all four Rio Grande Valley counties during Tuesday’s Republican runoff for U.S. Senate against incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn.

Paxton is set to face Democrat James Talarico in November.

In Hidalgo County, Paxton got 3,000 more votes than his opponent. In Cameron County, Paxton got more than 63% of the vote.

Experts at South Texas College believe that shift came after President Trump endorsed Paxton last week.

If Paxton wins in November, he will be considered a junior senator, meaning he would not be able to lead Senate committees.

"It's kind of strange that you wouldn't endorse someone who's already got that experience and holds those chair positions because you're going to lose that seniority power in the chamber," STC Political Science Department Chair Mark Murray said.

Paxton faced controversy during his time as Texas attorney general when the Texas House filed to impeach him in 2023.

He was later acquitted in the Texas Senate. Cornyn said he respects the voters' decision and will support the Republican nominee in the general election.