Texas Senate
John Cornyn (R) lost the primary. 3 candidates were on the ballot on November 3, 2026. The Cook Political Report rates it a toss-up.
Who should win this race, and why?Say what you think. Other readers can answer you.Discuss
Ken Paxton
Republican · Texas attorney general since 2015, former state legislator
C+Liberty Score C+78 out of 100 across 7 principles. Graded on what Paxton has said and done, because I have no votes in Congress to count for Paxton.
Raised $22,327,474 since January 2025: 94% from people, 4% transfers and other income, 2% from PACs and other committees. The filing at FEC.gov
James Talarico
Democrat · Texas state representative, former public school teacher
FLiberty Score F46 out of 100 across 7 principles. Graded on what Talarico has said and done, because I have no votes in Congress to count for Talarico.
Raised $146,349,912 since January 2025: 96% from people, 4% transfers and other income. The filing at FEC.gov
Higher on Liberty Score: Ken Paxton. Ken Paxton: C+, 78 out of 100 from words and actions, with no votes in Congress to count. James Talarico: F, 46 out of 100 from words and actions, with no votes in Congress to count.
Voting in Texas: how to register, vote early or vote by mail. Election Day was November 3.
Side by side
A solid letter is a grade from recorded votes on that principle. An outlined letter is on the same scale, for a candidate with no votes: it comes from what that candidate has said and done, and every source is listed below.
Ken Paxton, on the record
I have no votes in Congress to count for Paxton, so the grade above comes from this list: what Paxton has said and done on my principles. Each line has its source, and each is marked with the same test I use for votes.
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As attorney general, joined other states in a 2026 court brief backing survivors of the October 7 attack who are suing two American groups they accuse of supporting Hamas.
“Radical Islamic terrorist groups like Hamas must be decimated and dismantled, and that includes their domestic supporting branches”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is acting against supporters of Hamas.
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As attorney general, sued the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2026 to stop them from operating in Texas.
“Sharia law and the jihadists who follow sharia law have no business being in Texas”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
I count signing the bill to name the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization as with liberty.
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Days after the United States began strikes on the Islamic Republic, told Fox News that the president did the right thing.
“But the reality is, when you've got a country that's trying to build nuclear weapons, that is willing to use them, and that has demonstrated terrorist activity for decades, 40 or 50 years, you’ve got to deal with that, or eventually it comes to you”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is maximum pressure on the regime in Tehran. I count a vote to stop American action against it as against liberty; he backed the action.
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Told Bloomberg in September 2026 that he would have preferred the strikes on the Islamic Republic to come after the midterm elections, and that the president had no choice if the Islamic Republic was close to a nuclear weapon.
“But the reality is, it sounds like he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to protect the country from an Iran with nuclear weapons”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
He would have timed it differently, and he still backs the action against the regime. The measure is no limits on America's power to act against it.
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Criticized Senator John Cornyn in 2025 for backing American aid to Ukraine.
“I’m going to start calling him ‘Senator Ukraine,’ because he’s funding Ukraine more than he’s funding our border, and that’s a problem in Texas”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
I count a vote for aid to Ukraine as with liberty. He holds that support against the senator who gave it.
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As attorney general, joined other states in a 2025 letter asking the Justice Department and the FBI to keep working with them against antisemitic terrorism, and said he stands with Israel.
“I am proud to stand with Israel and will always do everything within my power to partner with federal law enforcement to root out domestic terrorism and antisemitism.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is treating Israel as an ally. This says he does; it is a statement, not a vote on aid or weapons.
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Told Fox News that the president is encouraging the people of Iran to take their country back, and that the United States would not move in to help them do it.
“We're just taking out the bad guys, and then it's up to them to build their country in a way that they see fit.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
He wants Iranians to take their country back, and he names no step to support them, such as human rights sanctions or an open internet. That does not settle it, so it counts for nothing.
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His campaign site sets his foreign policy against politicians who send billions to foreign countries and protect the borders of other nations.
“While many Washington career politicians are concerned with sending billions to foreign countries and protecting the borders of other nations, Ken Paxton’s top priority will always be the American people.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
The page names neither Ukraine nor Taiwan and does not say what he would vote for. It settles nothing, so it counts for nothing.
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As attorney general, sued the State Department in 2023 together with two news outlets, saying it paid for tools used to cut the reach of American media it disfavored.
“This agency will not get away with their illegal campaign to silence citizens and publications they disagree with.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
I count a vote against government pressure on platforms to censor lawful speech as with liberty.
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As attorney general, opened an investigation of the group Media Matters after it published an article critical of the social media site X. In May 2025 a federal appeals court kept the investigation blocked, finding the group had a valid claim that it was retaliation for the article.
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
The measure is no censorship by government. A court found a government investigation was aimed at a publisher for what it wrote.
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Said in September 2026 that the federal gas tax should be ended for good.
“Repealing those taxes would put money straight back into drivers' pockets every time they fill up, and Washington should fund roads by cutting waste, not by taxing Texans at the pump.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is lower taxes and less spending.
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His campaign site says he will take on drug and food companies in the Senate.
“In the Senate, he will work alongside President Trump to Make America Healthy Again by taking on Big Pharma and Big Food, increasing transparency in our food and healthcare systems”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
Taking on an industry can mean new rules or more competition, and the page does not say which. It settles nothing, so it counts for nothing.
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As attorney general, sued the NCAA in 2024 to stop it from letting male athletes compete in women's events in Texas.
“Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
I count a vote for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act as with liberty.
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As attorney general, urged every Texas public school in 2025 to set aside time for voluntary prayer and scripture reading under a new state law, and recommended that students begin with the Lord's Prayer.
“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
The measure is no religion in government and the same freedom for believers and non-believers. A state official recommending one faith's prayer for public schools is the other side of that.
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As attorney general, led 16 states in a 2018 Supreme Court brief defending President Trump's travel ban, which restricted entry from eight countries.
“The travel ban is constitutional and vital to upgrading both vetting and national security procedures that will help protect the nation from terrorism.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
I count a vote to keep the president's power to restrict entry from countries that cannot vet their travellers as with liberty.
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As attorney general, sued Harris County in 2025 for giving more than $1.3 million in public money to groups that defend people in deportation cases.
“Millions upon millions of illegals invaded America during the last administration, and they must be sent back to where they came from.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is enforcing immigration law and deporting those who break it.
James Talarico, on the record
I have no votes in Congress to count for Talarico, so the grade above comes from this list: what Talarico has said and done on my principles. Each line has its source, and each is marked with the same test I use for votes.
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His campaign site names the Islamic Republic as an adversary of the United States and calls for regional cooperation against it.
“promote long-term regional cooperation to defend American interests against adversaries like Iran”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
Calling the Islamic Republic an adversary does not say what he would do about sanctions or a deal. It settles nothing, so it counts for nothing.
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Called the United States war with the Islamic Republic a disaster in September 2026 and called on his opponent to oppose it.
“Ken Paxton supports this disastrous war in Iran that’s driving up our costs”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
The measure is maximum pressure on the regime in Tehran. I count a vote to stop American action against it as against liberty.
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States on his campaign site that Israel has the right to defend its people, and that he supports defensive systems like the Iron Dome.
“October 7th was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust — and Israel has the right to defend its people.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
I count a vote to fund the Iron Dome as with liberty. Taken with the line above, his record on Israel is mixed.
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States on his campaign site that the United States has a duty to defend Ukraine against Russia, and calls for closer work with NATO.
“It is our duty as the world’s oldest democracy to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
I count a vote for aid to Ukraine as with liberty.
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In a primary debate in January 2026, before the war, said protesters in Iran had been murdered in the streets, and said the same was being seen in Minnesota.
“We can have discussions about how to respond in Iran, where we have seen so many innocent civilians, protesters murdered on their streets. We’re also seeing that in Minnesota as we speak.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
He names the killing of protesters, and he names no step to support them, such as human rights sanctions or an open internet. That does not settle it, so it counts for nothing.
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Said on The Breakfast Club podcast that he would not vote to send weapons to Israel's current government.
“I would not vote to send weapons to the Netanyahu government”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
I count a vote to block a weapons sale to Israel as against liberty.
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States on his campaign site that he opposes book bans and would pass a law to stop the government from targeting people and groups for their speech.
“pass the No Political Enemies Act to protect individuals and organizations from being targeted by the government for exercising their freedom of speech”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is no censorship by government. This is that.
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At a Sierra Club forum in 2020, as a state representative, called capitalism an oppressive system alongside white supremacy and climate change, and spoke of dismantling them. His campaign told CNN in 2026 that some of his past comments missed the mark.
“Young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and white supremacy and capitalism in our country. And I think only in the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we going to be able to begin the process of dismantling them.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
The measure is free markets and no to socialism. Calling capitalism an oppressive system to dismantle is the other side of that. It is from 2020 and his campaign has walked it back, which the line says.
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States on his campaign site that he would repeal the tariffs put in place by President Trump.
“Repeal the Trump tariffs that are making everything — from groceries to cars to clothing — more expensive.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
I haven't ruled on tariffs yet, so this counts for nothing.
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Wrote in a Texas Tribune candidate questionnaire that the corporate tax rate should be raised.
“The corporate tax rate should absolutely be increased, as it has fallen by more than half since the 1980s.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
The measure is lower taxes. This raises one.
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As a state representative, voted against bills that barred transgender students from school sports teams matching their gender identity, and said in 2021 that some things matter more than perfectly fair competition.
“Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
I count a vote for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act as with liberty. He voted against the Texas bills of the same kind.
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Said on Fox News in September 2026 that he would oppose transgender athletes in girls' sports where it risks safety or fairness, and that he voted against the Texas bills because they were too broad.
“And so I will oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Not clear either way
He opposes it on a condition and does not say which rule he would vote for. That does not settle it, so it counts for nothing.
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Opposed the 2025 Texas bill that requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms.
“But forcing teachers to post the Ten Commandments violates the most important commandment: love thy neighbor.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is no religious law in government. He opposed a state order to post a religious text in classrooms.
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States on his campaign site that he will oppose policies that put religion into schools, prisons, courts and the military.
“reject policies that force religion into neutral public spaces like schools, prisons, courts, and the military”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
The measure is no religion in government and the same freedom for believers and non-believers. This is that.
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In a primary debate in January 2026, called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be torn down and replaced with a different agency.
“It’s time to tear down this secret police force and replace it with an agency that actually is going to focus on public safety.”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
The measure is enforcing immigration law and deporting those who break it. This removes the agency that does it, though he says he would put another in its place.
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Said on a podcast in June 2026 that he is a border security Democrat.
“So I'm a border security Democrat. I believe we've gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who's coming into our country.”
- By the test I use for votes
- With liberty
A secure border is the measure. Taken with the line above, his record on it is mixed.
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States on his campaign site that he would create a path to citizenship for immigrants who are in the country illegally and have been here the longest, and for spouses and Dreamers.
“Create a path to citizenship for the immigrants who have been here the longest and certain groups like spouses and DREAMers”
- By the test I use for votes
- Against liberty
I count a large legalization of people who entered or stayed illegally as amnesty, the same way I count the vote on the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021.
Also on the ballot
Ted Brown (Libertarian).
Who is on the ballot: the state election offices, as listed on Wikipedia on November 3, 2026, checked against the candidate file of the Federal Election Commission. Race rating: the Cook Political Report, November 2, 2026. See a name that is wrong or missing? Say so in the discussion.
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Texas Senate
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