Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at CPAC on Saturday in Grapevine.
Eleanor Dearman
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton predicted that he’ll be favored in May’s U.S. Senate Republican race against incumbent John Cornyn during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine.
Paxton told the crowd on Friday night that he’s optimistic headed into the second round of voting — more conservative candidates tend to win runoff elections, Paxton said.
“I promise you this,” Paxton said. “Instead of having a senator that represents Washington D.C., we’re going to have a senator in Texas that represents Texas and the values of the Republican party.”
Paxton was the keynote speaker at CPAC’s Ronald Reagan dinner, a black-tie optional soiree capping off the day’s programing. He’s the CPAC-endorsed candidate in the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate against Cornyn.
Paxton didn’t wade into the prospects of a President Donald Trump endorsement as Paxton addressed the crowd.
Paxton did reference his call for the passage of the SAVE America Act, which he has previously named as a condition for his exit from the election.
“It’s shocking to me that we have not passed the Save America Act, and I’m grateful to President Trump’s pushing of the Senate to pass that act,” Paxton said.
Much of the speech was similar to remarks he made during a North Texas campaign stop ahead of the March 3 primary election.
Paxton told stories about running for office for the first time and his 2023 impeachment. He was acquitted in a Senate trial.
He also pinged Cornyn for spending decades in Washington. Cornyn is seeking his fifth term.
Before Paxton took the stage, there was an auction that included gold Trump hats that sold for thousands of dollars and a $9,000 gator hunt with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
Texas’ U.S. Senate race also came up at other times during the day’s main-stage programming, including when Steve Bannon, host of the “War Room” podcast, took the stage.
Bannon told the Friday afternoon crowd that the reason Cornyn wasn’t at CPAC was because Cornyn “doesn’t think you’re important enough to talk to.” The crowd booed in response and cheered when Bannon mentioned Paxton.
Cornyn isn’t scheduled to speak at the conference.
“Has anyone seen John Cornyn here?” Paxton said to the crowd. “Because I haven’t seen him.”
Cornyn’s campaign announced on Wednesday that they’d have a mobile billboard targeting Paxton outside CPAC. The ad claims Paxton is “so corrupt” it makes Hillary Clinton blush, and the ad also outlines various allegations against the embattled attorney general, according to a copy provided by Cornyn’s campaign.
Cornyn Campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak said Texans need to know the “extreme depth” of Paxton’s corruption.
“Paxton is an embarrassment to our state, while Senator Cornyn has been a statesman and trusted public servant for his entire career,” Mackowiak said. “Character is on the ballot in May, and we know Texans will reject Ken Paxton’s mountain of unethical behavior once and for all.”
Staff Writer Rachel Royster contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 11:05 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years.
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