Texans will vote Tuesday in a U.S. Senate primary runoff where incumbent four-term Sen. John Cornyn is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in an expensive, drawn-out race that has caught President Donald Trump’s attention.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton, who he called ‘a true MAGA Warrior,’ came late in the race and marked another effort by the president to punish Republican lawmakers he sees as insufficiently loyal.
The winner of the Republican nomination will run against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November..
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There wasn’t a clear geographic divide in the March 3 primary results. The tight margins in Houston, Dallas and their surrounding areas underscore how the battle lines cut across, rather than neatly between, Texas’ urban and suburban regions.
Cornyn — whom Paxton attacked as too aligned with D.C. Republicans and not loyal enough to Trump — led in the state’s largest counties, including those encompassing the metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Houston. But Paxton remained competitive, trailing by roughly 1,900 votes in Harris County, home to Houston, and 4,100 votes in Bexar County, home to San Antonio. Tonight’s runoff could be decided by who builds a stronger geographic base, particularly in the Houston area, where Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third, outperformed his state average.
Dallas-area contractor Raymond Schramm said Tuesday that he’s concerned about healthcare and Republican-authored cuts in subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, and he has misgivings about how the war with Iran has been conducted.
He voted for President Donald Trump but thinks the Senate needs someone who will “have a little bit of a difference.” He likes Talarico because he seems kind.
“I like him. He’s a nice guy. He speaks well,” he said. “I don’t believe in the party system.”
“My situation is a little different than Massie’s or Cassidy’s,” said Cornyn, referencing two other Republican incumbents who were more critical of Trump and recently lost their primaries under pressure from the president and candidates he backed.
In his case, Cornyn said on Fox News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump is “frustrated I think with the Senate as a whole.”
There are “grifters,” the senator continued, who are “claiming I am opposed to the president’s agenda and I think that’s caused some confusion with the president himself, but I’ve been supportive.”
Legal assistant Calise Perry considers herself “100%” Republican and voted Tuesday for challenger Ken Paxton over incumbent Cornyn in Texas’ GOP runoff.
The 65-year-old Garland resident said Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is a fighter, “and that’s what we need right now.” The runoff came a week after President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.
“Cornyn’s been in way too long, and it’s time for him to retire,” she said. “He’s been in office a long time and really hasn’t done much, as far as I can see.”
Mike Neal, right, 45, a canvasser for Dallas county clerk candidate Damarcus Offord, Jermaca Brown, center, 32, deputy campaign manager for Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, and Sam Dalton, left, 31, a volunteer with Stonewall Democrats, stand outside the Oak Lawn Branch Library during local and primary runoff elections Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
A voter enters the Oak Lawn Branch Library polling location to cast a ballot during local and primary runoff elections Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
Candidate signs line the entrance to the Oak Lawn Branch Library polling location as voters cast ballots in local and primary runoff elections Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.
Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.
The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.
For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.
A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.
This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.
The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.
For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.
“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”
The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.
“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.
“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.
Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
