Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched his bid to challenge Senator John Cornyn (R-TX).
Following weeks of hinting at a candidacy On Tuesday, Paxton announced his decision during an appearance on Fox News’s program "The Ingraham Angle."
“I’m declaring my candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat against John Cornyn, who seems to be seeking another term—his fifth one—which would keep him in office for thirty years,” Paxton stated. “The time has come for a new direction in Texas.”
"There’s another outstanding U.S. senator in Ted Cruz, and it’s high time we had another distinguished senator who will genuinely advocate for Republican principles, champion the values of Texas residents, and back President Donald Trump as well," he further stated.
Cornyn responded swiftly. According to a statement made to the Washington Examiner, a representative of Cornyn stood up for his track record of supporting the president, mentioning that he supported Trump over ninety-five percent of the time compared to other senators, and criticized Paxton’s integrity.
Ken Paxton is a fraud. He speaks harshly about crime yet allows corrupt progressive Lina Hidalgo to go unpunished. According to him, his impeachment trial was baseless; however, he did not challenge the accusations made in official documents, costing taxpayers millions. Despite claiming to be against woke culture, he allocates vast sums from tax money to attorneys who promote DEI initiatives. Furthermore, Ken professes to uphold strong moral values due to his religious beliefs but resorts to using counterfeit Uber accounts for meetings with his girlfriend, all while misleading his own family,” stated the report.
"This will be an energetic campaign, and we promise Texans that they will have a genuine option when this race concludes," it stated.
Paxton swiftly retaliated, boasting about his poll statistics.
" Our campaign solely engages with serious contenders who aren't trailing by 25 points in the polls," he replied.
A polling aggregate The survey conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin revealed that Senator John Cornyn's approval rating amongst Republicans stood at only 49% in February, marking one of the lowest figures for a statewide official when contrasted with his fellow Texan Republican senator, Attorney General Ken Paxton, who enjoyed a higher approval rate of 62%. Additionally, their colleague from Texas, Senator Ted Cruz, maintained an even stronger position within the party, boasting an 80% endorsement from Republicans.
In the past, Paxton has publicly criticized Cornyn, resulting in a February 28, 2024, tweet where the current officeholder ridiculed the attorney general regarding his impeachment proceedings. These proceedings were focused on accusations of corruption.
"Chasing freedom from jail is tough, Ken," he replied to a message from Paxton stating that Republicans warranted a more deserving senator.
The comment intensified the rivalry and turned Cornyn into the main focus of Paxton's retaliatory efforts following his exoneration. The initial statements in the GOP primary indicate that a harsh contest lies ahead.
In a March interview Along with Punchbowl News, the attorney general—a firm supporter of Trump—zeroed in on Cornyn’s perceived vulnerabilities, particularly his aggressive stance on Ukraine.
"I'm going to begin referring to him as 'Senator Ukraine' since he's providing more funds to Ukraine than to our border, which poses an issue for Texans," Paxton stated.
Paxton disregarded Cornyn’s recent shift further to the right, stating that voters wouldn’t be convinced by this change.
TEXAS DEMOCRATS ANTICIPATE 'VERY EXCITING TIMES' SHOULD PAXTON CONTEST CORNYN'S PLACE IN THE SENATE
"After 23 years, he finally has a genuine potential opponent. It seems like he will follow through with this, correct? After all, people won’t find it shocking. The voters aren’t naive. If he abruptly shifts to the right? There’s less than a year until the primary. Once it concludes... he returns to his usual stance as John Cornyn," Paxton stated.
Paxton informed the publication that he intends to discuss with Trump regarding his potential endorsement for 2026, expressing confidence that he would receive it. Nonetheless, Paxton referenced statistics indicating Cornyn's unpopularity, hinting that this might render the president's support unnecessary for defeating the current senator.
Even prior to Paxton declaring his candidacy on Tuesday, Texas Democrats expressed their delight at the prospect of the attorney general going up against Cornyn for the Senate position.