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PBS News Hour - Segments

What's at stake for Democrats and Republicans in the Texas Senate primaries

PBS News Hour - Segments

PBS NewsHour

Daily News, News

4.11K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Voters head to the polls on Tuesday in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas. It's in the Lone Star State where competitive races on both sides of the aisle have fueled unprecedented spending. Lisa Desjardins reports on what's at stake in the Texas U.S. Senate race. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.0

Tomorrow, voters head to the polls in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas.

0:05.2

But it's in the Lone Star State, where competitive races on both sides of the aisle have fueled unprecedented spending.

0:12.3

Political correspondent Lisa Desjardin has more on what's at stake in Texas's U.S. Senate race.

0:19.8

Welcome to the race for the U.S. Senate, Texas-sized.

0:24.9

With two larger-than-life primaries, one in each party.

0:29.0

Character is on the ballot.

0:30.9

I believe voters still care about their elected officials, and they want people who will tell

0:36.3

them the truth.

0:37.0

The incumbent Republican John Cornyn faces two other Texas lawmakers, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt.

0:45.3

It's the fight of his 24-year career.

0:48.3

He's tried and true in the minds of many voters in Texas.

0:52.3

Tony Plejetsky is a journalist with the Austin American statesman.

0:56.3

Cornyn is running as experienced and battle tested. However, while he was once ranked among the most

1:02.3

conservative senators, now Paxton and his voters and his supporters have really been able to nurture this idea that John Cornyn has not

1:16.9

been hard right enough.

1:19.6

Paxton's policies are ultra MAGA.

1:22.1

I want you to know, I'm not going up to Washington, D.C. to join the Swamp Club.

1:27.8

As AG, Paxton emphatically enforced the state's abortion ban and filed the lawsuit

1:33.2

challenging the 2020 presidential election results.

1:36.6

Terry General, Paxton, please rise.

1:38.8

But he has faced sharp scrutiny.

1:40.8

In 2023, the Texas House passed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton

...

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