A record four candidates seeking the 2026 Republican nomination have been elected to political office

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The filing deadline closed on Monday of this week for Texas’ March 3rd primary, and thus the field of U.S. Senate candidates to take on incumbent John Cornyn is now set.

Eight candidates filed for the GOP primary. Cornyn also won his third term in 2014 in a field of eight candidates which was one shy of the party record of nine for the office set in the open seat 2012 primary won by Ted Cruz.

In addition to Senator Cornyn, three of the other seven candidates filing this cycle have been previously elected to political office: former State Representative (2003-2013), State Senator (2013-2015), and sitting three-term Attorney General (2015-present) Ken Paxton, two-term U.S. Representative (2023-present) Wesley Hunt, and Richland Springs School Board member (2011-present) Rennie Mann.

This is the first time four elected Republican officeholders will square off in a Texas U.S. Senate primary, although a few other cycles have seen three such GOPers vie for the seat.

Since Republicans began regularly holding U.S. Senate primary elections in 1964, at least one candidate with experience in elected political office has appeared on the party’s primary ballot for U.S. Senator.

In only two of these cycles (1964, 2012) did the winner of the primary never hold elected office prior to that election cycle.

1964 (won by George H.W. Bush)

  • Houston businessman Jack Cox served six years as a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives (1947-1953) from Palo Pinto and Stephens counties
  • Former New York City Municipal Judge (1954-1955) Robert Morris of Dallas

1966 (won by John Tower)

  • One-term U.S. Senator John Tower

1970 (won by George H.W. Bush)

  • Two-term U.S. Representative George H.W. Bush (1967-1971)
  • Former New York City Municipal Judge (1954-1955) Robert Morris of Dallas

1972 (won by John Tower)

  • Two-term U.S. Senator John Tower

1976 (won by Alan Steelman)

  • Two-term U.S. Representative Alan Steelman (1973-1977)

1978 (won by John Tower)

  • Three-term U.S. Senator John Tower

1982 (won by James Collins)

  • Eight-term U.S. Representative James Collins (1968-1983)
  • Six-term State Representative Walter Mengen (1971-1983) of Houston

1984 (won by Phil Gramm)

  • Three-term Democrat-turned-Republican U.S. Representative (1979-1985) Phil Gramm
  • Four-term U.S. Representative (1975-1977, 1979-1985) Ron Paul
  • Former Democratic State Representative (1961-1967) and Republican State Senator (1967-1973) Henry Grover of Houston

1988 (won by Beau Boulter)

  • Two-term U.S. Representative (1985-1989) Beau Boulter

1990 (won by Phil Gramm)

  • One-term U.S. Senator Phil Gramm

1994 (won by Kay Bailey Hutchison)

  • One-term U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

1996 (won by Phil Gramm)

  • Two-term U.S. Senator Phil Gramm
  • Former Democratic State Representative (1961-1967) and Republican State Senator (1967-1973) Henry Grover of Houston

2000 (won by Kay Bailey Hutchison)

  • Two-term U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

2002 (won by John Cornyn)

  • Former Bexar County District Judge (1985-1990), former Texas Supreme Court Justice (1991-1997), and sitting State Attorney General (1999-2003) John Cornyn

2006 (won by Kay Bailey Hutchison)

  • Three-term U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

2008 (won by John Cornyn)

  • Two-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn (Note: Cornyn technically served the last month of Phil Gramm’s final term in office prior to beginning the term to which he was first elected)

2012 (won by Ted Cruz)

  • Former Texas Land Commissioner (1999-2003) and sitting Lieutenant Governor (2003-2015) David Dewhurst
  • Former Democratic 12th Court of Appeals Judge (1993-1998) and Republican Court of Criminal Appeals Judge (2001-2010) Charles Holcomb
  • Former Dallas Mayor (2007-2011) Tom Leppart

2014 (won by John Cornyn)

  • Three-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn
  • Two-term U.S. Representative (1995-1997, 2013-2015) Steve Stockman

2018 (won by Ted Cruz)

  • One-term U.S. Senator Ted Cruz
  • Former La Marque Mayor (2009-2011) Geraldine Sam

2020 (won by John Cornyn)

  • Four-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn

2024 (won by Ted Cruz)

  • Two-term U.S. Senator Ted Cruz

The 1993 special U.S. Senate election to fill the vacancy after Lloyd Bentsen was appointed U.S. Secretary of the Treasury was also stacked with experienced Texas Republicans. However, there was no GOP primary; instead candidates from all parties and independents appeared on the same primary ballot. That race included former State Representative (1973-1976) and sitting State Treasurer (1991-1993) Kay Bailey Hutchison, seven-term U.S. Representative (1981-1997) Jack Fields, and five-term U.S. Representative (1985-2019) Joe Barton.

If Cornyn is reelected in 2026 and serves out his fifth complete term, he will become the longest-serving Texas U.S. Senator in history. Cornyn current sits at #5 with 23 years and 9 days of service through Thursday and will rise to #2 before the end of the 119th Congress.

He currently trails Democrat Morris Sheppard (28 years, 2 months, 6 days), Democrat Charles Culberson (23 years, 11 months, 27 days), Democrat Tom Connally (23 years, 9 months, 30 days), and Republican John Tower (23 years, 6 months, 19 days).

Cornyn passed Kay Bailey Hutchison (19 years, 6 months, 20 days) and Democrat Lloyd Bentsen (22 years, 17 days) this term.

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