Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has ousted Sen. John Cornyn from his seat during the U.S. Senate Republican runoff election on Tuesday night.
Decision Desk and the Associated Press called the race shortly after 7 p.m./8 p.m. CT.
Unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State show that Paxton earned 62.53% of the vote with Cornyn earning 37.47% as of 8 p.m. CT. So far, 685,486 votes have been counted with 19.7% of polling locations reporting.
Trump reacts to Paxton win
The attorney general’s defeat of the incumbent drew reactions from several prominent Republican leaders — including President Donald Trump, who backed Paxton a week ago — as he is set to face democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in November.
Trump took to social media, posting a picture of himself and Paxton declaring victory with his chosen candidate.
Abbott, Patrick and Burrows weigh in on Paxton’s victory
A “resounding victory” is what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called Paxton’s triumph over Cornyn on Tuesday night in a social media post.
“Next, he will destroy Talarico and become the next US Senator from the state of Texas,” Abbott said in his post.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also congratulated Paxton on his “overwhelming victory” in a social media post, while also saying he has “no doubt that Ken will defeat Talarico in the general election.”
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows also praised Paxton’s victory in a social media post, calling him a “steadfast conservative fighter for Texas” who has defended and advanced conservative principles.
“With so much at stake for our state and our country, Republicans are united and ready for the fight ahead. Looking forward to supporting Ken Paxton as we work to protect the values and freedoms that make Texas exceptional,” read Burrow’s post.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Trump, Abbott react to Paxton’s win in Texas Senate runoff over Cornyn
Reporting by Mateo Rosiles, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
