<\/p>\n
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Ronald Reagan dinner during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
Gabriela Passos\/AP<\/p>\n
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Ronald Reagan dinner during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
Gabriela Passos\/AP<\/p>\n
Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas walks through the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington.<\/p>\n
Tom Brenner\/AP<\/p>\n
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Ronald Reagan dinner during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
Gabriela Passos\/AP<\/p>\n
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Ronald Reagan dinner during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
Gabriela Passos\/AP<\/p>\n
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) \u2014 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s was the unofficial guest of honor at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where hundreds of right-wing activists from around the country hailed him as Republicans\u2019 clear choice for U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n
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He met with supporters behind closed doors, gave the keynote address at the Ronald Reagan dinner and held court during a private reception where people lined up for handshakes and photos. Audiences cheered for Paxton and booed any mention of Sen. John Cornyn, Paxton’s opponent in the May 26 runoff.<\/p>\n
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If Paxton is the nominee, it will be because of support from his party’s fervent grassroots base. That rock-solid foundation rescued Paxton’s political career after he was impeached \u2014 but acquitted \u2014 for corruption charges by the Legislature three years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you to know, there\u2019s only one reason I got through all that, and it\u2019s by the grace of God,\u201d he said in his Friday night speech as a wave of applause rolled through the hall. \u201cHe absolutely delivered me, and he used to people of Texas to deliver me.”<\/p>\n
Neither Paxton nor Cornyn won enough votes in the March 3 primary to clinch the nomination outright. Although Cornyn has raised far more money and is backed by the party establishment in Washington, Paxton\u2019s well-honed survival skills could lead him to victory.<\/p>\n
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The winner will face Democrat James Talarico, a state lawmaker, in what will be one of the most closely watched Senate races as Republicans try to retain their grip of Congress.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump promised that he would endorse either Paxton or Cornyn weeks ago, but no announcement ever came. Paxton, however, has had no trouble proving his bona fides with the party’s right wing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real benefit of Paxton is that he is more an ally of Trump,\u201d said Luke Brown, a 21-year-old college student from Amarillo, Texas. \u201cThere\u2019s got to be a change for newer conservatives.<\/p>\n
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He added that, \u201cI have respect for Cornyn. I just think it\u2019s time for someone more conservative.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making a pitch for Trump’s backing<\/p>\n
Although Cornyn finished first in the primary, which also included Rep. Wesley Hunt, Paxton swiftly appealed to Trump by embracing legislation known as the SAVE Act, which would mean new, strict proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting. The proposal is a priority for Trump, but it has stalled in the Senate because Republican leaders do not want to lift the filibuster.<\/p>\n
Paxton said he would consider stepping aside if the legislation passed and accused Cornyn of being a \u201ccoward.” About a week later, Cornyn reversed his position on the filibuster and wrote in an op-ed that \u201cI support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Paxton crowed about the shift during his reception on Saturday. told a roomful of supporters at a candidate social Saturday.<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, John Cornyn has never been focused on this issue until right now, when I called him out on it,\u201d he told supporters.<\/p>\n
Cornyn’s campaign representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Joe Ropar, a 72-year-old defense contractor who attended CPAC, described Paxton\u2019s ability to preempt Cornyn as \u201cbrilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cCornyn\u2019s trying to change his stripes now,\u201d Ropar said. \u201cIt\u2019s too little too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cornyn did not attend CPAC, which was held at a resort and convention center near Dallas, Paxton was extolled by speakers throughout the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cKen Paxton is emblematic of the grassroots of the MAGA movement across the nation,\u201d Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser who hosts the \u201cWar Room\u201d podcast, said referring to Trump’s \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d slogan.<\/p>\n
Earlier Friday, CPAC senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp polled the crowd. Asking for a show of support for Paxton, there was a roar of cheers. When she asked about Cornyn, there was a light ripple of boos.<\/p>\n
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Paxton reminded conservatives here of another connection with Trump: They both have portrayed themselves as the victims of political persecution. While Paxton was impeached and acquitted once, Trump went through the process twice during his first term.<\/p>\n
\u2018Time for a change\u2019<\/p>\n
Some conservative Republicans hold other grudges against Cornyn. They remember his early criticism of Trump’s proposal for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2016, his co-sponsoring of gun control legislation after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, and his dismissive remarks about Trump’s comeback campaign in 2024.<\/p>\n
Retired music teacher Valerie Burge, 58, said she voted for Cornyn in the primary because of his long service.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBut I’m not sure about the runoff,\u201d she said. \u201cIt might be time for something new.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara Palmer, a 65-year-old lawyer, said Cornyn had simply been in office for too long. He has been a judge, state supreme court justice and state attorney general, and now he wants a fifth term as senator.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s just time for a change,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n
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