Republican Sen. John Cornyn projected to win Texas Senate race

KEY POINTS

• GOP Sen. John Cornyn is projected to win the Texas Senate race, according to NBC News.
• Democrat MJ Hegar offered the toughest challenge he had ever faced.
• Republicans are trying to hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) attends a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on October 22, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Hannah McKay | Getty Images

Republican Sen. John Cornyn is projected to win reelection in Texas, according to NBC News.

He is set to defeat Democrat MJ Hegar, who offered the GOP lawmaker the toughest he had ever faced. As NBC News projected Cornyn's victory in Texas, the presidential race there was still too early to call.

The senator's projected victory gives Republicans a little more breathing room as they try to hold their 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrat John Hickenlooper is projected to defeat Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado, according to NBC News.

In a statement Tuesday night, Cornyn said he "will continue to be a strong voice for our values in Washington."

Hegar, meanwhile, said in a statement that she is "confident that the work we did will move our state forward for years to come."

Cornyn was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002. The third-term senator from San Antonio sits on the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

Before representing the Lone Star State in the Senate, Cornyn was a district judge, a member of the Texas Supreme Court and Teas attorney general.

Hegar is an Air Force combat veteran who has not held public office. In 2018, she narrowly lost a House race against Republican Rep. John Carter.

The Round Rock native served three tours in Afghanistan as a medevac pilot and earned the Purple Heart as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Polling in the race had shown a slight lead for Cornyn.