Who's running in the Texas Republican primary? Here are the candidates

Texas Republicans are set for a heated primary race on March 3.

Four-term Sen. John Cornyn is trying to hang on in a Congressional primary for his Senate seat against state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. Paxton has the polling lead, but Senate GOP leaders are trying to help Cornyn − and PresidentTrump has not yet taken a side

Here's are the three GOP contenders and what their race means from the national perspective.

John Cornyn defends his position

Cornyn, 74, is a fourth-term senator who was first elected to the position in 2002. He currently sits on the Senate Finance, Judiciary, Intelligence, Foreign Relations, and Budget Committee.

Born in Houston before growing up in San Antonio, Cornyn graduated in 1973 from Trinity University, where he majored in journalism. He earned a law degree from St. Mary’s Law School in 1977.  He went on to work as a district judge, a member of the Texas Supreme Court, and Texas Attorney General, before his election to the U.S. Senate. In 2012, he was voted the Senate minority whip, the second-in-command for his party.

He has received hundreds of endorsements from Republicans across Texas, as well as prominent groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federal of Independent Businesses and the Houston Region Business Coalition.

A Lone Star State institution, Cornyn has been blasted by MAGA critics lately for being too cozy with Democrats and criticizing Trump in the past. Cornyn is looking to appeal to a broad base of Republican voters. He told CBS News on March 2 it will "be a challenge" if "only the most radical people" vote in Texas GOP primary. He also said he "respected" Trump's decision to launch strikes in Iran.

Ken Paxton looks to stir up MAGA base

Cornyn's toughest competitor, Paxton, 63, is the 51st attorney general of Texas, and has served in the role since 2015.

He earned a bachelor's and master's degree from from Baylor University and studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law, according to his bio. Paxton worked as an attorney at Strasburger & Price, LLP, in-house counsel for J.C. Penney Company, and headed up his own law firm for 14 years in McKinney before moving into public office.

Paxton served in the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 70 from 2003 to 2013, according to Ballotpedia. He then was elected as a Republican member of the Texas State Senate for District 8 from 2013 to 2015, before running for attorney general. 

As attorney general, Paxton has fought for GOP-favored issues like anti-abortion legislation and curbs to immigration.

But his tenure has also been marred by multiple controversies over the years in his political and personal life starting with a 2023 impeachment on bribery charges by the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives over allegations that he used his office to benefit a real estate developer who allegedly employed a woman with whom Paxton had an affair and helped remodel the attorney general's home. The state Senate later acquitted him after a two-week trial.

The attorney general made headlines again last year when his wife, Angela Paxton, a state legislator, announced on X the two were getting a divorce based on "biblical grounds" after being married almost four decades.

But he's achieved popularity among Trump's most staunch supporters by spotlighting lawsuits against the Biden administration and support for Trump. 

While Cornyn aims to win votes across his party, Paxton is targeting his message toward the most MAGA-aligned Republicans. Paxton is looking to use his endorsement from Turning Point Action — the PAC for Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Charlie Kirk — to bolster his lead on Cornyn. A Paxton victory could serve as a litmus test for Trump-style Republicanism ahead of the November midterms.

Wesley Hunt

The GOP primary trifecta is completed by Rep. Wesley Hunt, who serves Texas' 38th district. A Houston native, Hunt graduated in 2004 from the United States Military Academy at West Point before spending eight years in the Army as an Apache helicopter pilot. He was deployed once in Iraq and twice in Saudi Arabia.

He then returned to his education at Cornell University, where he earned three graduate degrees. He has been a U.S. congressman since 2023 and sits on the House Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees. 

Hunt is hoping to be an alternative choice for a younger generation of Texas Republicans wedded to Trump but who've lost faith in Cornyn but don't align with Paxton.

In a previous interview with USA TODAY, Hunt said it will be hard for voters to ignore the controversies in Paxton's history.

"They are distractions, I'll say that," Hunt said. "They certainly are issues that can be used against him. This is why I'm running, because I'm a clean guy. I don't have any of those problems."

Republicans could go for a runoff

Paxton is currently polling ahead of Cornyn, though the Republican primary will likely be headed for a runoff.

If no candidate receives more than 50% support, the race would go to a May 26 runoff, which many experts and strategists expect will happen.

The chosen candidate will face off against the winner of the Democratic primary between Texas Rep. James Talarico and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, both of whom are testing new styles of Democratic ticket for their troubled party. The greater test at hand could be the smoke signals Tuesday's race sends to Trump's party ahead of the November midterms, indicating alignment with the president's base or foreshadowing fray among Republicans.

March 3 is the last day of voting

Early voting began Feb. 17, and turnout is more than double what it was in the past two election cycles on the Democratic side, reports say. In-person voting will be held on Tuesday, March 3. Find your polling location here.

Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey and Adam Powell