Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to Primary Challenge Senator John Cornyn

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a primary challenge against the Lone State state’s longtime Sen. John Cornyn in what might shape up to be an ugly battle.

A Republican, Cornyn has held the U.S. Senate seat from Texas since 2002 while Paxton has been active in Texas politics since he ascended to attorney general in 2015. In his announcement, Paxton said the state needs a new senator to “stand up for Republican values.”

“I’m announcing that I’m running for U.S. Senate against John Cornyn, who apparently is running again for his fifth term, which would put him there three decades. It’s definitely time for a change in Texas,” Paxton told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on her program.

“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,” Paxton added.

Cornyn responded to the announcement by sharing a post from the X account Team Cornyn calling Paxton a “fraud” while defending his 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,” said the post. “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,” it added.”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.”

Ken Paxton was impeached by Texas House of Representatives in 2023 on corruption charges before being acquitted in the Texas State Senate. The following year, he “reached a deal that included a $300,000 payment in restitution to avoid a securities fraud trial stemming from a 2015 indictment on three felony charges,” per NBC News.

At least one recent poll from Texas Public Opinion Research gives Paxton a 10-point edge over Cornyn for the time being.

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