Cornyn trails Paxton in Texas Senate GOP primary; Crockett leads Talarico in Democratic race

Democrats are hoping that the upset is a sign their 30‑year statewide losing streak could finally be nearing an end.

In the GOP race, Mr. Paxton leads Mr. Cornyn 38% to 31%, leaning into a message that paints Mr. Cornyn as too tied to Washington and not loyal enough to Mr. Trump. Rep. Wesley Hunt sits in third with 17%, while 12% of voters are still undecided.

If no candidate clears 50% in either party’s March 3 primary, the top two will head to a May runoff.

In a hypothetical head‑to‑head matchup, Mr. Paxton holds a 51% to 40% advantage over Mr. Cornyn and 56% to 33% over Mr. Hunt. Mr. Cornyn, meanwhile, leads Mr. Hunt 46% to 39%.

Mr. Paxton also enjoys a stronger favorability rating among Republican voters than Mr. Cornyn does and is running just as strongly in hypothetical general election matchups with the top Democratic contenders, undercutting the incumbent’s warnings about his electability.

Mr. Trump remains the most popular figure in the field, with 89% of GOP primary voters viewing him favorably. More than half say they’d be more likely to support a candidate he endorses — and Mr Trump has hinted he may weigh in.

On the Democratic side, Ms. Crockett leads with 47%, followed by Mr. Talarico at 39%, Ahmad Hassan at 2%, and 12% remain undecided.