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Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn face each other in Tuesday’s GOP Senate runoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elias Valverde II Jason Fochtman\/The Dallas Morning News, Houston<\/p>\n
In the booming North Texas suburbs that once powered establishment Republicans, GOP voters are deciding whether the future of the party looks more like John\u00a0Cornyn or Ken Paxton, the bitter Senate rivals.<\/p>\n
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At a sports bar in Little Elm last week, the answer from many grassroots conservatives was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
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They talked less about legislation than confrontation. Less about seniority than visibility. Less about governing than fighting.<\/p>\n
They were all in for\u00a0Paxton, praising him for suing the Biden administration and pushing aggressive conservative priorities. They dismissed longtime Republicans in Washington as too cautious and disconnected from the party\u2019s combative base.<\/p>\n
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Sen. John Cornyn\u00a0speaks to reporters during his campaign event at Hard Eight BBQ, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in The Colony.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A short drive south at Hard 8 BBQ in The Colony,\u00a0Cornyn supporters were making a sharply different argument: Republicans still need stability, experience and a nominee who can survive the general election against a rising Democrat.<\/p>\n
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Attorney General Ken\u00a0Paxton poses for photos with supporters during a campaign stop\u00a0at Matt\u2019s Rancho Martinez on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Allen.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
They warned that\u00a0Paxton\u2019s legal and personal troubles could create an opening in November and threaten the GOP\u2019s longtime hold on the seat.<\/p>\n
Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The split offered a snapshot of the competing factions inside Texas politics ahead of the runoff Tuesday between Cornyn, the four-term senator, and Paxton, the outgoing attorney general. The winner will face Democrat James Talarico.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n President Donald Trump shook up the race last week with a late endorsement of Paxton, giving him a major boost with MAGA voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cornyn, who spent months angling for Trump\u2019s backing, insisted <\/a>there are still enough Republicans wary of Paxton’s long-running controversies to keep the contest close.<\/p>\n Related: Trump endorses Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in Texas’ heated Republican Senate runoff<\/a><\/p>\n For some North Texas conservatives, though,\u00a0Paxton has emerged as the clearer fit.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Steve Brown, a 46-year-old\u00a0Carrollton IT consultant and former Denton County precinct chair, said he reluctantly voted for\u00a0Cornyn in the past. This year, he said he’s firmly behind Paxton.<\/p>\n Brown said\u00a0Paxton\u2019s years as attorney general convinced him that the candidate fights harder than most Republicans in Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’ll sue anybody he can find that’s taken advantage of Texans, and thank God for it,\u201d Brown said after\u00a0Paxton\u2019s recent event at Towers Tap House.<\/p>\n Paxton had just touted a $10 million settlement\u00a0<\/a>with Texas Children\u2019s Hospital over allegations involving Medicaid billing for gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u00a0Brown said\u00a0it showed that Texas conservatives are setting the national agenda.<\/p>\n \u201cThe things we do in Texas give other states courage,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s setting the precedent for the whole dang country.\u201d<\/p>\n