John Cornyn lost the Republican primary for his Texas Senate seat against the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton.
With 98% of the votes tallied, Paxton receiving almost two-thirds of the vote, getting 63.8% of the support compared to Cornyn's 36.2%.
The result further illustrates President Donald Trump's continued dominance over the Republican party, considering he endorsed Paxton last week and Cornyn had been in office for four terms.
The development seems to have given him the final boost to win the election comfortably. While Paxton was leading in all polls, the candidates were touting their alliance with the president as a way to appeal to party voters.
"I know Ken well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a WINNER! Ken is a Strong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER and, very importantly, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, something which polls at 87%, including Dumocrats, and yet can't seem to get approved," Trump said in a social media publication when announcing the endorsement.
At the same time, Trump criticized Cornyn despite him vying for his endorsement until the last minute. He said that even though he is a "good man," he was "not supportive of me when times were tough."
"John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself, both of which were Landslide Victories and, more importantly, gave us the Country that we have today — THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA (and when we finish up with Iran, which will not be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon, you will see numbers that have never been generated by our Country before!), as opposed to the DISASTER of the previous Administration."
Paxton thanked Trump for his support on Tuesday, saying "when everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn't listen."
"President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics," he added.
Cornyn, on his end, said he would still support the Republican ticket in the midterms, when Paxton faces Democratic candidate James Talarico.
"I've said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they made their decision, and I must respect it," Cornyn said
Paxton already took on Talarico on Tuesday, saying he is a "threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in our country."
"Every Republican knows that if we lose this state, if Republicans lose this state, we lose the country," he added.
