Republican John Cornyn wins re-election in Texas Senate Race
AUSTIN, Texas - Republican John Cornyn has won the Senate race in Texas. The incumbent was challenged by Democrat Mary MJ Hegar, a former Air Force pilot. Senator Cornyn's seat was one of the dozens of seats Democrats were hoping to flip this Election Day.
The Cornyn campaign says Hegar called Cornyn to concede.
Cornyn, who has been in the Senate for 18 years, led after early voting totals were released, and his lead only grew as Election Day totals starting coming in, as he won his fourth term in the Senate.
Hegar, who beat out North Texas State Senator Royce West in the Democratic primary runoff, was unable to continue the momentum from the very close U.S. Senate race in 2018 between Beto O’Rourke and Senator Ted Cruz.
This was Cornyn’s tightest re-election challenger, as Hegar was able to outraise Cornyn in recent weeks, though it’s believed that was due to the outside spending for Democrats here in Texas.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
Following tonight’s election results in the U.S. Senate race, MJ Hegar released the following statement:
“I’m not a career politician, running for U.S. Senate was never my plan. I’m just one of the millions of Texans who saw the world we’re giving our children and thought ‘hell no.’ Together, we stood up and got to work, building a powerful grassroots campaign from the ground up, shattering voter turnout records, and most importantly sending a message to a previously safe Senator that he answers to us. I am confident that the work we did will move our state forward for years to come,” said MJ Hegar.
Last week, Hegar cast her vote in Round Rock Tuesday morning. FOX 7 Austin’s Natalie Martinez spoke with the candidate after she had cast her ballot. “I just don’t really look at the polls,” Hegar said. “I am confident that I am accomplishing what I set out to accomplish. I think we are going to win.”
Senator John Cornyn also cast his ballot last week in Austin on Wednesday morning. He said his nearly two decades in office shows he knows how to get things done, including working across the aisle.
SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS