Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he will challenge Senator John Cornyn in 2026, citing the Texas Republican’s frequent opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Paxton made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” telling host Laura Ingraham that “it’s definitely time for a change in Texas.”
“We have a great U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, and it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump in the areas he’s focused on, in a very significant way,” Paxton said. “That’s what I plan on doing.”
Paxton told Ingraham it was “hard to think of the things” Cornyn has “done good for Texas or for the country,” slamming the senator for “things like his gun restrictions, his lack of wanting to fund a border wall, and even opposing President Trump’s election in 2016 and in the most recent election.”
“There’s certainly many things to focus on that he has not done,” Paxton added, “and I think it’s time that somebody held him accountable for that.”
The attorney general also railed against Cornyn in a statement announcing his run, in which he pledged to “take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.”
“John Cornyn has been in Washington for over two decades, and he has turned his back on President Trump and the America First Agenda time after time.”
“Texans deserve far better than a senator who thinks it’s ‘naive’ to build a border to protect our citizens,” Paxton said.
Paxton, who has served three terms as attorney general, has frequently criticized Cornyn. In a March interview with Punchbowl News, Paxton slammed Cornyn for pushing gun control legislation and supporting American aid to Ukraine.
“I’m going to start calling him ‘Senator Ukraine,’ because he’s funding Ukraine more than he’s funding our border, and that’s a problem in Texas,” Paxton said.
Paxton has emerged as a leading voice on major issues, using his office to protect women’s sports, defending Texas A&M’s decision to ban a campus drag show, and prosecuting a woman who performed illegal abortions.
Cornyn, who lost the race to succeed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader, is serving his fourth term in the upper chamber. A mainstay in Republican politics, he previously served as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and as Senate Majority Whip.
Senate Republican leaders have reportedly asked Trump to endorse Cornyn to put a stop to what could be a costly and high-profile primary. Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju, Cornyn demurred on the question of Trump’s endorsement, noting that “his endorsement will be important” and saying Trump will “make an endorsement when he’s ready.” Cornyn also said that he and the president have “a very good relationship.”
But it’s unclear if Trump — who once floated the idea of tapping Paxton as U.S. Attorney General — would back Cornyn, whom the president once called “weak [and] ineffective.”
A recent poll found that Paxton leads Cornyn by 20 points, The New York Times reported earlier this month.
