Senator Cornyn Frames Texas Primary as a Crucible of Character Against Paxton

Texas Senator John Cornyn is confident he can prevail in a fiercely contested Republican primary next year against Attorney General Ken Paxton by focusing the campaign on Paxton’s character.

This approach faces challenges given Paxton’s history, including public corruption allegations that culminated in his 2023 impeachment by the Republican-led State House, followed by an acquittal in the Republican-controlled State Senate.

Cornyn hinted that the well-publicized accusations are only a fraction of the issues surrounding Paxton, suggesting further damaging information will emerge before the March 2026 primary.

Speaking from a small sticker printing shop in Waco, Texas, with a Superman painting overhead, Cornyn described the upcoming contest as a definitive measure of whether character still holds weight in politics.

Despite a 2015 securities fraud indictment, ongoing federal probes into corruption, and the impeachment—where former aides alleged Paxton exploited his office to favor a friend and political donor involved in concealing an extramarital affair—Paxton remains popular among Republican voters.

Now serving his third term as attorney general, Paxton has weathered these investigations and appears to have strengthened his standing in the eyes of primary voters.