Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s announcement that he is running to unseat Sen. John Cornyn sets up an intraparty showdown that GOP leaders hoped to avoid in the Lone Star State.
Mr. Paxton claims that Mr. Cornyn, a four-term incumbent, hasn’t accomplished much during his 23 years in the Senate.
“I’m announcing that I’m running for U.S. Senate against John Cornyn who apparently is running again for his fifth term, which would put him there three decades,” Mr. Paxton said Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle.” “It’s definitely time for a change in Texas.”
“We have another great U.S. senator, Ted Cruz, and it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way, and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said.
Attention immediately turned to where President Trump will dole out his blessing in the 2026 race. The Trump endorsement is considered a gold ticket in GOP primary fights.
GOP leaders in Washington reportedly asked the president to back Mr. Cornyn.
Another Texas Republican, Rep. Wesley Hunt, is also thought to be considering a bid.
The Cornyn campaign responded to the Paxton announcement by arguing that the senator has been a loyal MAGA ally and his record proves it, saying he voted 95% of the time with the president during Mr. Trump’s first term.
“Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump, and he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to protect his agenda in the Senate and won’t be outsmarted by Chuck Schumer,” the Cornyn campaign said before attacking Mr. Paxton.
“Ken Paxton is a fraud,” the Cornyn team said, accusing the state’s attorney general of being soft on corruption and supportive of woke lawyers.
“And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family,” the Cornyn campaign said. “This will be a spirited campaign, and we assure Texans they will have a real choice when this race is over.”
Mr. Paxton narrowly overcame an impeachment vote in 2023 over alleged bribes he took from a real estate investor in a case that aired out details about an extramarital affair.
