John Cornyn was reelected for his fourth term as a senior United States senator for Texas against Democratic opponent MJ Hegar on Tuesday evening.
Cornyn was projected to win the race at 8:20 p.m., defeating Hegar, a U.S. Air Force veteran. According to his campaign website, Cornyn supported multiple legislation to improve law enforcement to combat human trafficking as well as a permanent legislative solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients to become citizens.
“It is the honor of my life to serve Texas in the U.S. Senate,” Cornyn said in a tweet. “Inspired by your trust and your patriotism, I will continue to be a strong voice for our values in Washington. Thank you, Texas!”
Cornyn was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and served as the majority whip for the Republican Party during the 114th and 115th Congresses.
Hegar conceded the election at 8:29 p.m.
“I'm so proud and incredibly grateful for all of your support,” Hegar said in a tweet. “Together, we've worked so hard, and overcome so much, shattering expectations along the way. We’ve built a powerful grassroots movement from the ground up, and I know our fight here in Texas is far from over.”
Joe Cascino, president of Texas College Democrats and government junior, said earlier Tuesday that Hegar had a real shot at winning the seat, but there were a lot of unknowns based on the voter turnout.
Jordan Clements, chairman of UT’s chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas, said he had no doubt that Cornyn would win reelection, as Hegar ran her campaign more as an “unapologetic liberal” than Beto O’Rourke’s campaign in 2018, which was lost by a narrow margin to Sen. Ted Cruz.
“MJ Hegar did not run it as safe and as well as of a campaign as Beto’s,” marketing junior Clements said.
Hegar ran on issues such as protecting the Affordable Care Act and securing the Texas-Mexico border with procedures other than a wall, according to her campaign website.
“I’m not a career politician, running for U.S. Senate was never my plan.” Hegar said in her concession statement. “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.”
