John Cornyn

AUSTIN, Texas (Gray DC) - Texas voters head to the polls on Tuesday to choose between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton in a Republican Senate primary runoff.

The two candidates are facing off again after neither earned more than 50 percent of the vote in the March primary. The past 12 weeks have been marked by a contentious campaign.

“I’m eager for Election Day to get here so we can get the results,” Cornyn said, in an interview on Saturday.

The race shifted last week when President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.

“I believe the Texas candidate who’s Ken Paxton, I think he’ll win,” Trump said a day after the endorsement on Wednesday.

Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report said Cornyn now faces a difficult path to victory.

“This is about as big a blow as you can get,” Taylor said. “It would be a major shock to me if Cornyn were to win at this juncture.”

The winner will face Democratic nominee James Talarcio in the general election. Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.

A recent poll from Texas Southern University shows Talarcio nearly tied with both Republican candidates.

“Certainly that gives a lot of optimism, if you look at those numbers in terms of what do they mean, what do they portend, for the Democratic party,” said Michael Adams, a Texas Southern University political science professor.

Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.