President Donald Trump says he plans to endorse either Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate. He has also said the candidate who does not receive his endorsement should consider dropping out of the race.
That raises a question many voters may not have thought about: What happens if one of the two candidates in a runoff withdraws before the election?
Why there is a runoff in the first place
State law requires a runoff when no candidate receives a majority of the vote in a party primary, according to the Texas Election Code.
The runoff is meant to ensure the party’s nominee ultimately wins majority support among primary voters.
That second election allows voters to choose between the two candidates who received the most votes in the initial primary.
What happens if one candidate drops out?
If one of the two runoff candidates withdraws before the election, the remaining candidate typically becomes the party’s nominee.
In that scenario, the runoff election would likely not take place because there would no longer be two candidates competing for the nomination.
Would the nominee have won a majority of votes?
Not necessarily.
Because the runoff never occurred, the nominee would become the party’s candidate without winning a majority in the primary election.
That’s exactly the situation the runoff system is designed to resolve: when no candidate reaches 50% in the first round.
What that means for voters
If a runoff proceeds as scheduled, voters get a second opportunity to decide between the two leading candidates and determine which one receives majority support.
If one candidate withdraws before the runoff, that second decision point disappears.
Instead, the nomination is determined by the primary results and the withdrawal of the other finalist.
When the runoff is scheduled
The Texas primary runoff election is scheduled for May 26.
Only voters who participated in the Republican primary are eligible to vote in the Republican runoff.
Whether that election happens could depend on whether both candidates remain in the race.
