'Con man' vs. 'anti-Trump': Years of Republican fighting fuel a nasty Senate primary in Texas

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to topple Republican Sen.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to topple Republican Sen. John Cornyn in a Senate primary next year kicks off one of the most intense contests of the 2026 elections — a GOP-versus-GOP battle between two men who have been sparring for years and vying for President Donald Trump’s attention.  

Cornyn is a fixture of the Republican Party in Texas, serving in its highest offices for more than 30 years and becoming a key voice on Capitol Hill. Paxton, the third-term attorney general who survived a bipartisan impeachment last year in part thanks to support from Trump and conservative activist allies, believes there’s an opening to cut the incumbent down from the right. 

Now, both sides are aligning themselves with Trump amid the possibility of an endorsement that could tip the primary. 

Whether one comes or not, one thing is clear. “This is gonna be the nastiest race in the modern era of Texas politics, period,” former Travis County GOP chairman Matt Mackowiak said.  

Paxton immediately attacked Cornyn for having “turned his back on President Trump,” pointing to comments Cornyn made in 2023 about Trump’s indictment over his handling of classified documents, as well as the senator’s comments that he didn’t think Trump “could win the presidency” after Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case that same year.