GRAPEVINE, Texas — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is warning that Republicans could face a tougher-than-expected general election in Texas as the state’s high-profile Senate primary heads to a runoff between Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Attorney General Ken Paxton in late May.
“Look, I have concerns about the general election,” Cruz said in an exclusive interview with the Washington Examiner at the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference. “Regardless of who wins the nomination, the two candidates have attacked each other relentlessly, and the hard Left is really energized. They’re angry. They hate President Donald Trump, and I think they’re going to show up in huge numbers, which means we need to take the general very, very seriously.”
Cruz has declined to take sides in the race despite longstanding ties to both candidates, saying he has worked with Cornyn and Paxton for “many years” and has previously endorsed and campaigned for both. So far, President Donald Trump has not endorsed in the race, despite comments earlier this month that he planned to back a candidate.
“I trust the voters of Texas,” Cruz said. “The voters of Texas can make the choice who they can trust to represent them, to go and fight for their conservative values.”
The winner of the runoff will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November, setting up a closely watched general election that could test Republican strength in a state long considered reliably red.
Recent polling has added to those concerns. A survey conducted for Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC found Talarico narrowly leading both Cornyn and Paxton in hypothetical matchups, taking 44% to Cornyn’s 43% and 47% to Paxton’s 45%.
The findings are fueling debate within Republican circles over electability, with some in the MAGA wing arguing there is little daylight between Cornyn and Paxton in a general election.
Still, Cruz’s warning underscores broader concerns among Republicans that the contentious primary could weaken the party’s position heading into November.
“We’ve got a fight on our hands for November,” Cruz said.
The Texas senator framed the race as part of a broader national environment in which Democratic voters are driven by opposition to Trump, while Republicans will need to match that intensity to hold key seats.
“There are two ways to run: scared or unopposed,” Cruz said. “In this instance, I’m going to approach the Texas general election like every other race across the country: to run scared.”
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He urged conservatives to turn out in force, arguing that Republican voters must counter what he described as an energized Democratic base.
“The Left is going to show up because hatred and anger are really good motivators. We’ve got to make sure conservatives and just commonsense Americans show up,” Cruz said, warning against what he called a Democratic agenda of “open borders” and “socialist” policies.