Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the upcoming 2026 Republican Primary.
Paxton made this declaration during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday evening, saying, “It’s definitely time for a change in Texas.”
“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 Donald Trump, in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way. And that’s what I plan on doing,” said Paxton.
Cornyn has served as the senior U.S. Senator from Texas since his initial election in 2002. Prior to his tenure in the Senate, he was the Attorney General of Texas from 1999 to 2002.
Paxton’s campaign emphasizes his record as Texas’ 51st Attorney General, highlighting his involvement in over 100 lawsuits against the Biden administration, and focusing on issues such as border security, government overreach, and Second Amendment rights.
“As Texas’ 51st Attorney General, Ken Paxton has been on the front lines of the most important legal fights in the country. He’s sued the Biden administration over 100 times, standing up against open borders policies, government overreach, attacks on the Second Amendment, and the far-left’s radical agenda,” his campaign website states.
In 2023, Paxton faced impeachment by the Texas House on charges of abuse of office but was acquitted later that year by the Texas Senate on all counts.
For at least two years, Cornyn and Paxton have taken swipes at each other on social media. In 2024, Paxton blasted Cornyn’s bid to be the U.S. Senate Majority Leader as “anti-Trump, anti-gun,” adding that Texans “deserve better.” Cornyn responded that it is “Hard to run from prison.”
Additionally, Paxton was considered for the role of U.S. Attorney General under President Donald Trump, a position ultimately filled by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Paxton was first elected to the Texas House in 2002, followed by a stint as a member of the Texas Senate before taking office as the state’s 51st Attorney General.
