Paxton Win Pushes Texas Senate Into Pickup Territory — May 27, 2026

Texas Senate moved toward Democrats after Ken Paxton beat John Cornyn, with Cook Political Report shifting the race to Lean Republican and James Talarico facing a more vulnerable GOP nominee in a newly expensive pickup test. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Cook Political Report shifts Texas Senate rating toward Democrats after Paxton runoff victory — The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5896436-texas-senate-race-rating-shift/ 2. Trump-backed Ken Paxton beats incumbent John Cornyn in GOP primary runoff for Texas Senate seat — NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/live-blog/texas-senate-primary-elections-trump-live-updates-rcna346827 3. Texas general election matchups are finally set. Here's what you need to know — NPR https://www.npr.org/2026/05/27/nx-s1-5835292/texas-senate-runoff-takeaways 4. U.S. Senate nominee Cindy Burbank might have to sue to get her name off the general election ballot • Nebraska Examiner — Nebraska Examiner https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/26/u-s-senate-nominee-cindy-burbank-might-have-to-sue-to-get-her-name-off-the-general-election-ballot/ 5. Juliana Stratton doubles Don Tracy in U.S. Senate race fundraising — The Intelligencer https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/juliana-stratton-illinois-senate-fundraising-tracy-22229090.php Follow and rate Senate Pickup Watch on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]