Cornyn’s campaign quickly responded to Paxton’s Senate bid.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he will challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn to run for the US Senate in the 2026 primary.
“It’s official. I’m running through the Senate to fight for President Trump’s agenda and bring a slow hammer to establish DC,” he said on social media platform X.
Paxton launched the Senate campaign website, where he described him as a “loyal supporter” of President Donald Trump and a “steady supporter of the American First movement.”
He has pledged to support Trump’s legislative priorities in Washington.
Cornyn’s campaign quickly responded to Paxton’s Senate bid, calling him a “fraud” and cited the Merge Each Trial. Cornyn, 73, said he was first elected to the US Senate in 2002 and plans to seek a fifth term.
“This will be a lively campaign, and I will assure the Texans that when this race is over, they will make a real choice,” the senator’s campaign team said on social media.
Paxton was fired each by a Texas GOP-led house in 2023 for a bribery allegation, but was later acquitted in all 16 articles.
Trump has previously expressed his support for both Paxton and Cornyn. Democrats have not won the Senate race in Texas since 1988.
This story will be updated.
Reuters contributed to this report.
