Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that he will run against RINO Senator John Corbyn in 2026.
Paxton, a favorite among the MAGA grassroots, unveiled his campaign website on Tuesday afternoon before discussing his run with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“It’s definitely time for a change in Texas,” Paxton said during the interview.
“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,” he continued.
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
He later released a statement in which he said that he would prioritize the America First agenda.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate to fight for President Trump’s agenda and take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment,” Paxton said in the statement.
“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.”
As attorney general, Paxton repeatedly sued the Biden administration and led the way in exposing Democratic voter fraud and the disastrous nature of the previous administration’s policy of allowing millions of illegal aliens to enter the country through Texas.
Cornyn, meanwhile, responded by calling Paxton a “fraud” and made various unsubstantiated allegations about his past conduct, while also touting his own voting record.
His team wrote on X:
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.
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. Ken Paxton is a fraud.
He talks tough on crime and then lets crooked progressive Lina Hidalgo off the hook. He says his impeachment trial was a sham but he didn’t contest the facts in legal filings which will cost the state millions.
He says he’s anti-woke but he funnels millions of taxpayer dollars to lawyers who celebrate DEI.
And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family.
This will be a spirited campaign and we assure Texans they will have a real choice when this race is over.
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. Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump, and he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to…
— Team Cornyn (@TeamCornyn) April 8, 2025
Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune all but confirmed that the Republican leadership would lobby President Trump to endorse Cornyn over Paxton.
“I’m hoping that in the end, he can,” Thune told CNN when asked about the idea of Trump endorsing Cornyn.
“Obviously we’re supporting Senator Cornyn,” he continued. “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, with the gap widening further in the case of an informed ballot.
The two men shared a deep animosity for each other after Cornyn backed efforts by Democrats and establishment Republicans to impeach Paxton over trumped-up securities fraud charges.
He was eventually acquitted of all charges.
