Texas primary runoff takeaways. And, DOJ mass-deletes info on Jan. 6 riot cases

Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top stories Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term GOP Sen. John Cornyn yesterday to become the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. Paxton, 63, outpolled 74-year-old Cornyn by a margin of nearly two to one. Both candidates made it to Tuesday's runoff election after failing to secure a majority in Texas' primary in March. Republicans spent $100 million for the primary race, making it the most expensive primary in Senate history . Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton speaks to supporters at a watch party on March 3 in Dallas. Paxton beat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a runoff for the nomination, setting up a tough fight in November against Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico. Sergio Flores/ hide caption toggle caption Sergio Flores/ 🎧 The election, like many across Texas and the country, was centered around a potential changing of the guard , Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider tells Up First . Cornyn represents the establishment wing of the Texas Republican Party. The party has moved significantly to the right since he was first elected to the Senate during George W. Bush's presidency. Over the past year, Paxton has argued that Cornyn's time has passed and that he wasn't sufficiently supportive of President Trump . …