Ken Paxton announced his Senate bid against Republican incumbent John Cornyn: 'It's time we have another great senator'

Ken Paxton announced his candidacy for Senate in Texas. The attorney general will challenge the Republican incumbent, John Cornyn, who has already clarified that he will seek a fifth term in 2026. As for Paxton, he presents himself as loyal to Donald Trump, as opposed to the D.C. establishment, and as a conservative who is willing to "fight" for Republican values.

While there had already been months of speculation about a potential Texas attorney general candidacy, he made the official announcement on Laura Ingraham's show on Fox News, assuring that it was time for a Republican renewal.

"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 Trump, Donald Trump, in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way. And that’s what I plan on doing," he added.

On his campaign website, Paxton repeatedly remarks that he is the true conservative in this election. Indeed, he has in the past described Cornyn as a "RINO," an acronym for "Republican in name only."

"The radical left is determined to undermine our conservative values, and too often there are RINO Republicans willing to help them do it. We’ve seen an unprecedented assault on our Constitutional freedoms— like our 2nd Amendment rights— from 'Republicans' and Democrats alike. Ken Paxton is running to stop the career politicians who are attacking our way of life," his website reads.

Paxton survived an impeachment attempt in 2023 and now hopes to make it to the Senate by unseating Cornyn, who reached the Senate in 2003. In turn, the incumbent already has the backing of John Thune, Republican majority leader, so it is expected to be a very competitive and expensive first.

Should Cornyn eventually opt not to run for re-election, Congressmen Michael McCaul and Beth Van Duyne as well as Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, could be strong candidates.

"Ken Paxton is a fraud"

From Cornyn's campaign, it didn't take long to attack his now-rival, criticizing him personally and slipping that he would be the pick of choice for Texas Democrats.

"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," Cornyn's campaign arm expressed on social media.

"This will be a spirited campaign and we assure Texans they will have a real choice when this race is over," they added.

What do the polls say?

The latest poll, released in March by Lake Research Partners, found Paxton with an early lead over Cornyn of 11 percentage points, 38% vs. 27%, with 16% undecided, 8% who would not vote in the primary and 7% who would opt for other candidates. However, in Texas you have to get over 50% to avoid a runoff, so the initial numbers suggest that there would be a head-to-head between the two candidates.

It should also be considered if Donald Trump enters the race backing Paxton, which could definitely tip the balance in his favor. At the same time, another factor that could play in the Texas attorney general's favor is that more partisan voters tend to participate more in primaries than moderates.