John Cornyn loses primary election to scandal-plagued runoff challenger

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has lost his primary to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, capping off a weekslong runoff that saw two giants of Texas politics square off against each other.

The race was called shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday evening by CNN and the Associated Press.

Cornyn, a longtime Republican powerhouse known for his prodigious fundraising skills, has faced fury from Texas GOP activists for years, many of whom believe him to be insufficiently committed to the Trump agenda despite his near-perfect voting record for the president's policies.

He trailed Paxton, a firebrand culture warrior with a long history of corruption scandals, in the polls for months, amid a primary that got intense and bruising. At the last minute, Trump, who had largely stayed out of the contest and was even considering an endorsement for Cornyn earlier on, backed Paxton.

Paxton will go on to face the Democratic nominee, state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico, who has been fighting to define his two potential opponents for weeks ahead of the general election showdown.