GRAPEVINE – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton strode through the Conservative Political Action Conference like a kid back from college.

Convention-goers heaped hugs and handshakes on him as he made his way through conservative media row for interviews. He stopped only to devour a few Chick-fil-A nuggets and grab a peppermint candy.

“These are my people,” Paxton told The Dallas Morning News. “I love them. And I need them.”

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Paxton is in a bitter runoff battle with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn for the GOP Senate nomination. And in order to win the May 26 contest, he has to compel his loyal following to return to the polls for another round. Cornyn finished narrowly ahead of Paxton in the March 3 primary that also featured U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who came in a distant third.

Voter turnout in runoff elections is typically very low, and the candidate who gets their supporters to the voting booth has the advantage. In Republican primaries, the most conservative activists are the tried-and-true voters which is good news for Paxton.

“I have to get my people back out,” Paxton said. “That’s the key to winning, and I’m confident I can get it done.”

CPAC, which is taking place at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center through Saturday, brings together thousands of grassroots activists, Republican lawmakers and conservative influencers.

Paxton already has CPAC’s endorsement over Cornyn, who’s not attending the convention. Cornyn’s campaign announced that a mobile billboard attacking Paxton will circle the convention center.

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Paxton has a full schedule. Along with mingling with convention-goers and dropping in on media row, he’s headlining CPAC’s Ronald Reagan Dinner. On Saturday, Paxton is hosting a breakfast meet-and-greet.

“The biggest hurdle he faces is mobilizing his people to come out in May,” said University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus. “At CPAC, he’s preaching to the choir. They’re all sitting attentively in the front row.”

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Rottinghaus said Cornyn would have a money advantage over Paxton, and both candidates were waiting to see who would get President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Paxton declined to discuss whether he had convinced Trump to endorse him over Cornyn. In the days following the primary, it appeared the president was poised to back Cornyn, but that talk has cooled in the weeks since March 3.

Paxton said Cornyn has outspent him 20 to 1, and he expected his rival would make good on his promise to unleash a brutal, negative campaign.

“That’s all he can do. He had to attack me, Paxton said. “He has nothing else to run on.”

Convention attendees were overwhelmingly in favor of Paxton.

Elaine Darby, who lives in Robson Ranch, a luxury senior community in Denton County, said she supports Paxton because he proved he will fight Democrats as Texas attorney general. She said Cornyn is a member of the “RINO establishment,” short for “Republican in name only.”

“You could not pay me a million dollars to vote for Cornyn,” said Darby, a retired administrative trainer. “I don’t trust him. I think he can be bought.”

There were nods to the Cornyn-Paxton showdown from the CPAC stage. Former Trump adviser Mercedes Schlapp asked the crowd: “Who likes Paxton?” Big applause.

Then she asked, “Who likes Cornyn?” A chorus of boos.

“That’s why he’s not here,” she quipped.

The convention concludes Saturday, when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is expected to speak.

Staff writer Sarah Bahari contributed to this report.