Texas politics just got a lot more interesting. Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday's Republican Senate runoff, a result that stunned Washington and handed the MAGA wing a decisive victory. But it also turned what was once a safe Republican seat into something far less predictable.

The Associated Press called the race early, with Paxton pulling in 63% of the more than 850,000 votes counted. That's a rout by any standard, especially against Cornyn, one of the most powerful Republicans in the Senate.

Paxton's win was fueled by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump. In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump called Cornyn "a good man" but said "he was not supportive of me when times were tough." Trump framed Paxton as a loyal "MAGA Warrior" and urged Texas voters to back him. They did.

The result marks a major coup for the far right. Cornyn became the first GOP senator from Texas to lose renomination, and his defeat sends a clear message: crossing Trump comes with consequences.

But here's where it gets complicated for Republicans. Paxton now faces Democratic nominee James Talarico in November, and the general election looks like a real fight.

A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll last month showed Talarico leading Cornyn by 7 points and Paxton by 8 points. An April Texas Southern University poll found Cornyn edging Talarico 45% to 44%, while Paxton and Talarico were tied at 45%. Those numbers suggest the seat is in play, something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Paxton overcame a narrow March primary loss by leaning on grassroots MAGA voters, a base he cultivated while fighting Democrats, federal investigators, and impeachment charges. But Democrats are already framing him as damaged goods.

Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement shared with the Associated Press: "Washington Republicans burned nearly $100 million trying to stop Ken Paxton — and still lost. Even members of his own party call Paxton too corrupt and too damaged for Texas. Now he's the GOP standard-bearer. Good luck with that."

Cornyn's ouster didn't happen in a vacuum. It follows Trump-backed primary defeats for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), extending Trump's campaign against Republicans who didn't fall in line.

Democrats also picked their House nominees on Tuesday. Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) defeated veteran Rep. Al Green in Texas' redrawn 18th District. And in Texas's newly drawn 9th Congressional District, former oil and gas executive Alex Mealer, backed by Trump, beat state Rep. Briscoe Cain to win the GOP primary.

For now, all eyes are on Texas. A Senate race that was supposed to be a snooze just became one of the most-watched contests in the country.