Texas Senator John Cornyn’s 2026 reelection campaign is launching a five-figure digital ad buy on Friday hitting his Republican primary challenger, the Lone Star State’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, on allegations of mortgage fraud, National Review has learned.
The ad criticizes Paxton for a recent Associated Press report, which accuses Paxton and his wife, Angela, of signing “inaccurate statements” improperly declaring that three of their properties were their “primary residence, enabling the now-estranged couple to improperly lock in low interest rates.” The ad also compares him to New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Senator Adam Schiff, two high-profile Democrats who are reviled by the president’s coalition and are batting away similar allegations of mortgage fraud.
The AP’s mortgage fraud allegations are expected to be a major feature of Cornyn’s competitive 2026 Senate primary in Texas, where the incumbent senator’s campaign team is trying to portray Paxton as a corrupt public official who is unworthy of his constituents’ trust. President Trump has yet to pick a favorite in the race.
“This explosive AP story unveils a new deeply unethical ploy by Ken Paxton which appears to be mortgage fraud,” said Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak. “As he has amassed ten properties in five states at a value of more than $5.6 million, he did it by lying on mortgage filings to earn a lower interest rate and qualify for the loans. At a time when millions of Americans are fighting to survive under high home mortgage rates, Ken Paxton lied to banks to amass a property empire making him a multimillionaire while on a government salary. Another day, another Crooked Ken Paxton fraud.”