The Senate race between incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton is already heating up.
Two Texas House Republicans have already endorsed Paxton’s 2026 Senate bid against Cornyn, just days after he formally announced his campaign.
Among them is Rep. Lance Gooden, who told Fox News that Paxton “will take a sledgehammer to the establishment, secure the border, and fight hard for President Trump’s agenda.”
“Attorney General Paxton is the conservative champion we need in the U.S. Senate,” Gooden wrote in a statement shared first with Fox News.
“Ken Paxton has my complete and total endorsement.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Troy Nehls also announced that he would be backing Paxton.
“He’s a bulldog, and that’s what we need in the Senate,” Nehls told POLITICO.
However, Paxton is likely to face an uphill battle in winning the support in the Senate as establishment Republicans are already closing ranks.
On Wednesday, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman, Senator Tim Scott, sent out a letter endorsing Cornyn.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has admitted to privately lobbying President Trump to endorse Cornyn.
“I’m hoping that in the end, he can,” Thune said when asked about the possibility of a Trump endorsement.
“Obviously, we’re supporting Sen. Cornyn. He’s done a great job for Texas and for the country. And we need him back.”
A recent poll found that Paxton is leading Cornyn by 53 percent to 28 percent in a hypothetical match-up, although that would change if Trump weighed in on the race.
In his announcement earlier this week, Paxton described himself as a “conservative warrior” who has never wavered in his support for Trump.
“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.”
“I’m a battle-tested Attorney General and conservative warrior who’s secured major victories against the establishment, the corrupt Biden Administration, and woke corporations,” he continued.
”Now, I’m ready to take that same toughness to the U.S. Senate.”
It’s official. I’m running for U.S. Senate to fight for President Trump’s agenda and take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.
Together, let’s send John Cornyn packing: https://t.co/rQl0P2UnWU pic.twitter.com/1KIajC0JhN
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 8, 2025
Cornyn, meanwhile, responded by calling Paxton a “fraud” and touted his pro-Trump voting record.
“During his first term John Cornyn voted with President Trump more than 95% of current Senators, securing the votes for his biggest accomplishments as his Whip,” Cornyn wrote on the X platform.
“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,” he continued. “Ken Paxton is a fraud.”
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