The rancorous Republican primary between Senator John Cornyn and his insurgent challenger, the Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, is heading for a runoff after neither candidate secured a majority of votes on Tuesday.
The result prolongs a bitter and costly intraparty contest between Mr. Cornyn, a stalwart conservative and senior member of the Senate, and Mr. Paxton, a darling of the party’s MAGA voters.
A runoff had been widely expected after a third prominent candidate, Representative Wesley Hunt of Houston, entered the primary in the fall, seeking to unseat Mr. Cornyn. A final vote in the contest will be held on May 26.
In the days before the vote, Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Paxton appeared to be preparing for a long fight in what seemed to be a deeply personal battle between two of Texas’ top elected officials. On Tuesday night, each vowed to prevail in the end.
“I will be the Republican nominee,” Mr. Paxton said, speaking to raucous supporters in a ballroom of a Dallas hotel.
He portrayed himself as the underdog facing an onslaught of tens of millions of dollars in campaign spending by Mr. Cornyn and his allies, which Mr. Paxton could not match. “Here’s what we proved tonight: while the money may be on his side, the people are on our side,” Mr. Paxton said.
Mr. Cornyn, who held a news conference rather than a celebratory event on Tuesday night, told reporters in Austin that Mr. Paxton would be a “liability” for Republicans.
“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build,” Mr. Cornyn said.
The head-to-head matchup presents a clear choice for Republican primary voters on the direction that they want the party to take in the second half of the Trump administration and beyond. Texas Republicans have remained steadfast in their support of President Trump, even as his popularity has faltered nationally.
Both Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Paxton have emphasized their proximity to the president during the campaign, and each sought his endorsement. Mr. Trump did not get involved in the Texas Senate race before Tuesday, saying he liked all three candidates. It was unclear if he would make an endorsement in the runoff between Mr. Cornyn, who has been an ally on most matters in the Senate, and Mr. Paxton, who has carried his mantle in legal fights.
The senator has argued that a win by Mr. Paxton would likely energize Democrats and possibly dampen Republican turnout in the November general election. Mr. Cornyn has called Mr. Paxton the “kiss of death” for the party in the midterms. The nearly three months before the runoff will give Republicans in Washington, D.C., time to pummel Mr. Paxton, as they did in the closing days before Tuesday.
Mr. Cornyn focused much of his campaign on his support for Mr. Trump’s agenda, and has used his huge cash advantage to remind voters of Mr. Paxton’s history of controversies and legal troubles, including a criminal indictment for securities fraud, an impeachment trial in the Texas Legislature and allegations of adultery.
He said he would continue to keep the pressure on in the runoff.
“Texas Republican primary voters will hear more about my record of delivering conservative victories in the United States Senate,” Mr. Cornyn said, “and learn more about Ken’s indefensible personal behavior and failures in office.”
But Mr. Paxton has demonstrated his skill as a political survivor, emerging from scandal repeatedly over the years to win Republican primaries and general elections. The criminal charge against him was settled, and he survived the impeachment. In interviews before the vote, his supporters compared him to Mr. Trump, who has also survived criminal charges and impeachment.
Mr. Paxton told his cheering supporters that he had been in two statewide runoff elections before and had won each by huge margins. “We just sent a message loud and clear to Washington,” he said. “We are not going to go quietly. And we are not going to let you buy this seat.”
Edgar Sandoval contributed reporting from Austin.
J. David Goodman is the Texas bureau chief for The Times, based in Houston.
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