Leo Wyatt
Leo Wyatt (Republican Party) (also known as Doc) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Texas. He was disqualified from the Republican primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Republican primary as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here. Incumbent John Cornyn (R) and Ken Paxton (R) were the top two finishers among the eight candidates running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas on March 3, 2026. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, Cornyn and Paxton advanced to a runoff on May 26, 2026. As of March 2026, Cornyn, Paxton, and Wesley Hunt (R) led in polling, fundraising, endorsements, and media attention.
The Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum described the primary as "expensive and brutal. Cornyn, a 23-year veteran of the Senate, has been in hot water with the Republican base over his efforts to pass a bipartisan gun safety bill in 2022 and past comments casting doubt on Trump’s political durability."[1] Roll Call's Nathan L. Gonzales said the race was "an example of how data can be presented to paint whatever picture you want to see...Trump remains a wild card. His support is often the difference maker in Republican primaries, but he hasn’t made a decision in this race."[2] Writing after Hunt joined the race in October 2025, the Associated Press' Thomas Beaumont said that "Hunt’s entry into the race raises the potential of a runoff for the GOP nomination."[3]
Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002. He earlier served as state attorney general and on the Texas Supreme Court. Cornyn said he had delivered for Texas while in office and was running for re-election "so President Trump and I can pick-up where we left off."[4] The Texas Tribune's Owen Dahlkamp described Cornyn's strategy as "going all in on emphasizing his support for Trump — something he has been previously wary to do — to court the MAGA base that will be key to winning."[5] Cornyn's campaign website said he had a "more than 99.2% voting record with President Trump — higher than Ted Cruz."[6] Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R) and the National Border Patrol Council endorsed Cornyn.
Paxton had, as of the primary, served as Texas Attorney General since 2015. He was also a member of the Texas House for ten years and of the Texas Senate for two. The Texas Tribune's Jasper Scherer described Paxton's run as "the latest flashpoint in a power struggle between the Texas GOP’s hardline, socially conservative wing — which views Paxton as a standard-bearer — and the Cornyn-aligned, business-minded Republican old guard."[7] Paxton's campaign website said that both "President Trump and Ken Paxton have been targeted in politically motivated witch hunts because there’s nothing that scares the establishment more than courageous conservatives who never back down from standing up for the American people."[8] U.S. Reps. Lance Gooden (R) and Troy Nehls (R) endorsed Paxton.
Hunt had, as of the 2026 primary, represented the 38th Congressional District since 2022. He was an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a former loan officer. The Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum described Hunt's strategy as "pressing the case that he would carry stronger appeal than Cornyn among the MAGA-dominated primary base, while bringing none of Paxton’s political baggage to the general election."[1] Hunt said he was running because "nothing is more worth fighting for than our great country and our Texas values."[9] U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R) endorsed Hunt.
Also running in the primary were John Adefope (R), Anna Bender (R), Virgil Bierschwale (R), Sara Canady (R), and Gulrez Khan (R).
As of March 2026, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Likely Republican. In the 2024 election, incumbent Ted Cruz (R) defeated Colin Allred (D) 53%–45%. In 2020, Cornyn defeated M.J. Hegar (D) 54%–44%.
Elections
2026
See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 2026
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (May 26 Republican primary runoff)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
The primary runoff will occur on May 26, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary runoff.
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
James Talarico, Joshua Cain, Camencia Ford, Jade Simmons, and Hans Truelson are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | James Talarico (D) | |
| Joshua Cain (Independent) | ||
| Camencia Ford (Independent) | ||
 | Jade Simmons (Independent) | |
 | Hans Truelson (Independent) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ronald Evans (Independent)
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent John Cornyn and Ken Paxton are running in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas on May 26, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Cornyn | |
 | Ken Paxton | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas
James Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Talarico | 53.2 | 1,103,371 |
 | Jasmine Crockett | 45.5 | 943,168 | |
 | Ahmad Hassan | 1.3 | 27,211 | |
| Total votes: 2,073,750 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Terry Virts (D)
- Colin Allred (D)
- Paula Williams (D)
- Michael Swanson (D)
- Emily Morgul (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Cornyn | 42.5 | 665,169 |
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton | 40.8 | 638,481 |
 | Wesley Hunt | 13.0 | 203,555 | |
 | Sara Canady | 1.2 | 18,168 | |
| Anna Bender | 1.1 | 17,112 | ||
 | Gulrez Khan | 0.7 | 10,917 | |
 | Virgil Bierschwale | 0.4 | 6,086 | |
| John Adefope | 0.4 | 5,865 | ||
| Total votes: 1,565,353 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Alvarez (R)
- Tony Schmoker (R)
- Alexander Duncan (R)
- Leo Wyatt (R)
- Matthew Elliot Kelley (R)
- Keith Allen (R)
- Barrett McNabb (R)
- Connor Kraus (R)
- Rennie Mann (R)
- Andrew Trakas (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas
Ted Brown and Daniel Mark Sims are running in the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 12, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Ted Brown (L) | |
| Daniel Mark Sims (L) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[10] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[11] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Bierschwale | Cornyn | Crockett | Hunt | Paxton | Talarico | Undecideed | Other | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Policy Research NotePAC supports James Talarico | – | -- | -- | 42 | -- | -- | 48 | -- | -- | 10 | 599 LV | ± 4.0% | Lone Star Rising PAC |
– | -- | 38 | -- | 16 | 43 | -- | 13 | 1 | -- | 529 LV | ± 5.3% | ||
– | -- | 42 | -- | 37 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 21 | 529 LV | ± 5.3% | ||
– | -- | 36 | -- | -- | 49 | -- | -- | -- | 15 | 529 LV | ± 5.3% | ||
– | -- | -- | -- | 29 | 53 | -- | -- | -- | 18 | 529 LV | ± 5.3% | ||
– | 1 | 34 | -- | 26 | 36 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 350 RV | ± 5.2% | ||
– | -- | 26 | -- | 26 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 600 LV | ± 4.0% | ||
– | -- | 31 | -- | 17 | 38 | -- | -- | 2 | 12 | 550 LV | ± 4.2% | ||
– | -- | 46 | -- | 39 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 11 | 550 LV | ± 4.2% | ||
– | -- | 40 | -- | -- | 51 | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 550 LV | ± 4.2% | ||
– | -- | -- | -- | 33 | 56 | -- | -- | -- | 11 | 550 LV | ± 4.2% | ||
– | -- | 26 | -- | 16 | 27 | -- | -- | 2 | 29 | 550 LV | ± 4.1% | N/A | |
– | -- | 28 | -- | 19 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | 26 | 1,022 LV | ± 3.0% | N/A | |
– | -- | 24 | -- | 24 | 29 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 600 LV | ± 4.0% | ||
– | -- | 32 | -- | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 600 LV | ± 4.0% | ||
– | -- | 31 | -- | -- | 45 | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 600 LV | ± 4.0% | ||
– | -- | -- | -- | 37 | 35 | -- | -- | -- | 28 | 600 LV | ± 4.0% | ||
Peak Insights NoteSponsored by a pro-Cornyn organization | – | -- | 35 | -- | 18 | 33 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 600 LV | ± 4.0% | Texans for a Conservative Majority PAC |
Stratus Intelligence NoteSponsored by Pro-Wesley Hunt group | – | -- | 25 | -- | 26 | 36 | -- | -- | -- | 13 | 857 LV | ± 3.3% | |
University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs/Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Hunt) NoteHypothetical matchup between Cornyn and Hunt. | – | -- | 50 | -- | 34 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 16 | 576 RV | ± 4.1% | N/A |
University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs/Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Hunt vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical matchup between Cornyn, Hunt, and Paxton. | – | -- | 33 | -- | 22 | 34 | -- | -- | -- | 11 | 576 RV | ± 4.1% | N/A |
University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs/Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Paxton) NoteTwo-way race between Cornyn and Paxton. | – | -- | 44 | -- | -- | 43 | -- | -- | -- | 13 | 576 RV | ± 4.1% | N/A |
University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs/Texas Southern University (Hunt vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical matchup between Hunt and Paxton. | – | -- | -- | -- | 35 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | 15 | 576 RV | ± 4.1% | N/A |
Emerson College NoteTwo-way race between Cornyn and Paxton. | – | -- | 30 | -- | -- | 29 | -- | -- | 5 | 37 | 491 RV | ± 4.4% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Hunt) NoteHypothetical matchup between Cornyn and Hunt. | – | -- | 42 | -- | 36 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Hunt vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical matchup between Cornyn, Hunt, and Paxton. | – | -- | 30 | -- | 22 | 35 | -- | -- | -- | 13 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Jackson) NoteHypothetical matchup between Cornyn and Ronny Jackson (R). "Other" indicates support for Jackson. | – | -- | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 35 | 22 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Jackson vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical matchup between Cornyn, Ronny Jackson (R), and Paxton. "Other" indicates support for Jackson. | – | -- | 33 | -- | -- | 38 | -- | -- | 15 | 14 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Paxton) NoteTwo-way race between Cornyn and Paxton. | – | -- | 39 | -- | -- | 44 | -- | -- | -- | 17 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Hunt vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical matchup between Hunt and Paxton. | – | -- | -- | -- | 36 | 43 | -- | -- | -- | 21 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Jackson vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical matchup between Paxton and Ronny Jackson (R). "Other" indicates support for Jackson. | – | -- | -- | -- | -- | 44 | -- | -- | 33 | 23 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A |
Texas Southern University NoteHypothetical three-way race between Cornyn, Hunt, and Paxton. | – | -- | 27 | -- | 15 | 34 | -- | -- | -- | 24 | 510 LV | ± 4.3% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Hunt) NoteHypothetical two-way race between Cornyn and Hunt. | – | -- | 39 | -- | 31 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 30 | 510 LV | ± 4.3% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Cornyn vs. Paxton) NoteTwo-way race between Cornyn and Paxton. | – | -- | 34 | -- | -- | 43 | -- | -- | -- | 23 | 510 LV | ± 4.3% | N/A |
Texas Southern University (Hunt vs. Paxton) NoteHypothetical two-way race between Hunt and Paxton. | – | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | 30 | 510 LV | ± 4.3% | N/A |
Quantus Insights NoteTwo-way race between Cornyn and Paxton. | – | -- | 39 | -- | -- | 52 | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 600 RV | ± 4.4% | N/A |
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | |||||||||||||
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cornyn | Republican Party | $11,155,399 | $6,816,042 | $4,972,818 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| John Adefope | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Anna Bender | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | As of March 31, 2026 |
| Virgil Bierschwale | Republican Party | $9,988 | $9,657 | $383 | As of March 16, 2026 |
| Sara Canady | Republican Party | $770 | $7,061 | $-6,291 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Wesley Hunt | Republican Party | $1,971,633 | $4,116,502 | $342,307 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Gulrez Khan | Republican Party | $10,443 | $10,964 | $-521 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Ken Paxton | Republican Party | $5,857,093 | $1,925,816 | $3,931,277 | As of February 11, 2026 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[12][13]
If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.[14]
Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
Spending news
- February 17, 2026: The Texas Tribune reported that satellite groups supporting Cornyn had spent around $60,000,000 and that the Lone Star Freedom Project, a satellite group chaired by former Gov. Rick Perry (R), had spent more than $18,000,000 supporting Cornyn.[15]
- February 4, 2026: The New York Times reported that satellite groups supporting Cornyn had spent around $50,000,000, groups supporting Hunt had spent $240,000, and groups supporting Paxton had spent $375,000.[16]
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Leo Wyatt did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Texas Tribune, "GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt announces run for U.S. Senate, joining Cornyn, Paxton in primary," October 6, 2025
- ↑ Roll Call, "Why Cornyn is still at risk of losing in Texas," October 20, 2025
- ↑ Associated Press, "Rep. Wesley Hunt is running for US Senate in Texas, defying GOP leaders to take on Cornyn and Paxton," October 6, 2025
- ↑ CBS News, "Senator Cornyn kicks off re-election campaign early as Ken Paxton weighs primary challenge," March 30, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Sen. John Cornyn looks to overcome Paxton primary challenge by embracing Trump," June 30, 2025
- ↑ John Cornyn campaign website, "The Trump-Cornyn Record," accessed October 22, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas AG Ken Paxton officially joins U.S. Senate race challenging John Cornyn," April 8, 2025
- ↑ Ken Paxton campaign website, "The Fight at Hand," accessed October 22, 2025
- ↑ Wesley Hunt campaign website, "Meet Wesley Hunt," accessed October 22, 2025
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ Amee LaTour, Email correspondence with the Center for Responsive Politics, August 5, 2022
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Rick Perry says his political group will spend “whatever we need” to support John Cornyn in Senate primary," February 17, 2026
- ↑ The New York Times, "Republicans Make a Costly Push to Try to Save Cornyn in Texas," February 4, 2026
