Texas stands at a crossroads, and the 2026 U.S. Senate race is shaping up to be a seismic clash that will shake the Lone Star State to its core. On one side we have Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, a relentless champion of conservative values and a loyal ally of President Donald Trump. On the other, John Cornyn, a fossilized relic of the Republican establishment, squatting in the Senate since 2002, delivering nothing but empty promises and betrayals to the people of Texas. This isn’t just a primary — it’s a battle to reclaim Texas’ future, and Paxton is the strike force we need to obliterate Cornyn’s reign of mediocrity.
Cornyn’s 24-year tenure in the Senate stands as a monument to failure. He’s done nothing for Texas—zero, zilch, nada. While Texans demanded bold action on border security, Cornyn turned his back, refusing to champion Trump’s border wall and siding with the D.C. swamp. He voted for a $95 billion foreign aid package, funneling our hard-earned money to overseas conflicts while Texas’s borders remain porous. He supported a bipartisan gun control bill after the Uvalde tragedy, trampling on our Second Amendment-protected rights. Cornyn’s record screams RINO. He’s a spineless opportunist who’s cozy with the Bush-era establishment, not the fierce America-First movement Texans crave. As Paxton declared on Fox News, “It’s hard to think of the things that he’s done good for Texas or the country.” Damn right.
Paxton, on the other hand, is a juggernaut. He’s a proven fighter who’s taken on the Biden administration’s lunacy—suing over immigration policies, abortion bans, and gender-affirming care for minors. He survived a sham impeachment in 2023, orchestrated by the same Republican old guard that Cornyn represents. Paxton’s acquittal by the Texas Senate was a middle finger to the establishment, proving his unshakable support among grassroots conservatives. Polls scream his dominance: a January 2025 University of Houston survey showed 36% of GOP primary voters favoring Paxton over Cornyn’s 32%. A Fabrizio, Lee & Associates poll had Paxton crushing Cornyn 53% to 28%. The latest Senate Leadership Fund poll, reported by Punchbowl News, has Paxton obliterating Cornyn 56% to 40%. The message is clear: Texans are done with Cornyn’s weak-kneed leadership.
Cornyn’s campaign is a desperate, flailing mess. He’s resorted to pathetic stunts, like posting a staged photo on X reading Trump’s book, trying to cozy up to the MAGA base he’s spent years betraying. Social media roasted him for it, with users on X calling out his blatant pandering. Cornyn’s team has the gall to call Paxton a “fraud” and a “conman,” but let’s talk facts. Cornyn’s been in office for over two decades and can’t point to a single transformative achievement for Texas. He’s a career politician who has mastered the art of doing nothing while collecting a paycheck. Paxton, meanwhile, has been a relentless force, taking on Big Tech, fighting voter fraud, and defending Texas’s sovereignty. His legal battles? A badge of honor, proof he’s a threat to the corrupt elite.
The X battlefield is ablaze with this fight. Posts from users of all hues trumpet Paxton’s lead, with the Senate Leadership Fund poll showing him crushing Cornyn by 16 points. Some called it a “landslide,” and they’re not wrong. Cornyn’s whiny response on X, claiming Paxton would lose to a Democrat, is laughable. He’s projecting his own weakness. Paxton’s grassroots support is a tidal wave, fueled by Texans who see him as a warrior for their values. Cornyn’s only defense is to sling mud, like his cowardly “Hard to run from prison, Ken” jab, referencing Paxton’s past legal fights—fights Paxton won, by the way, while Cornyn was busy cozying up to Chuck Schumer.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Republicans hold a slim 53-47 Senate majority, and Cornyn’s allies are terrified that Paxton’s primary victory could cost them the seat. They’re mistaken. Paxton is the only one who can galvanize the base and maintain Texas's red status. Cornyn’s baggage—his support for DACA, his vote to certify Biden’s election, his gun control betrayal—makes him a liability. A May 2025 poll from the Houston Chronicle indicated that Democrat Colin Allred could beat Paxton in a general election, but only by a razor-thin margin. Cornyn is no safer; the same poll had him narrowly edging out Allred. The difference? Paxton has the fire to rally conservatives, while Cornyn’s weak leadership would leave voters apathetic.
This race serves as a referendum on the GOP’s soul. Paxton embodies the future: unapologetic, Trump-aligned, and ready to challenge the D.C. establishment. Cornyn represents the past, a tired symbol of the Bush-era GOP that Texans have outgrown. As Texas Scorecard’s “Y’All Answered” poll indicated, 65% of readers support Paxton or other challengers over Cornyn. The Texas Tribune reported that Paxton’s approval rating among Republicans stands at 60%, overshadowing Cornyn’s disappointing 48%. KVUE pointed out that Cornyn is facing his toughest primary yet, and News From The States cautioned that Texas’s rightward shift spells trouble for the senator. Even Cornyn’s own allies, like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, cannot rescue him from the grassroots tsunami.
Image: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.
