Ken Paxton announced bid for Senate; John Cornyn responds
Ken Paxton announces Senate bid
Texas AG Ken Paxton has officially thrown his hat into the ring for U.S. Senate. He is challenging longtime Sen. John Cornyn for his seat.
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced he is running to unseat longtime U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
Paxton announced his bid on Tuesday night on the Ingraham Report.
Ken Paxton's announcement
What they're saying:
Paxton claimed Sen. Cornyn has accomplished little during a 24-year tenure.
"So, there's certainly many things to focus on that he has not done. and I think it's time that somebody held them accountable for that," said Paxton.
Ken Paxton to challenge John Cornyn
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced he will challenge Sen. John Cornyn and make a run for U.S. Senate.
An attack ad from Paxton’s campaign didn't take long to get posted.
John Cornyn's response
The other side:
Cornyn emerged from a Senate committee hearing Wednesday to respond to his upcoming Republican primary fight with Paxton.
Cornyn called Paxton a fraud and a con man.
"I am not going to turn over this Senate seat once held by Sam Houston to somebody like him. We will fight this to the end, and we will win," said Sen. Cornyn.
Cornyn's campaign also responded to Paxton's announcement on Tuesday night.
"Ken Paxton is a fraud. He talks tough on crime and then lets crooked progressive Lina Hildago off the hook. He says his impeachment trial was a sham but he didn’t contest the facts in legal filings which will cost the state millions. He says he’s anti-woke but he funnels millions of taxpayer dollars to lawyers who celebrate DEI. And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family," said a spokesperson for the Cornyn campaign. "This will be a spirited campaign and we assure Texans they will have a real choice when this race is over."
In an interview with FOX 4's Steven Dial last week, Cornyn said he has always had a contested primary and looks forward to the challenge.
What could the Senate Republican primary look like?
Big picture view:
"Right, there was probably no doubt that this race was going to get ugly," said political analyst Mark Jones with Rice University.
The school choice fight has sparked several Republican Party primary battles within the Texas GOP in the state House, but a clash of party titans, like Cornyn and Paxton, is rare.
The last big-name GOP face-off in Texas happened when U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison challenged incumbent Governor Rick Perry back in 2010.
The ugly start to this new GOP campaign is no surprise, and Jones expects the hard hits to continue.
"Effectively, we have two candidates who are going to primarily go after each other with very strong negative attacks. Paxton attacking Cornyn for being insufficiently conservative, and Cornyn attacking Paxton for his myriad ethical, marital, and other legal difficulties," said Jones.
It's currently a close race, according to the Hobby School of Public Affairs.
In a poll released back in February, 36% said they'd definitely consider voting for Paxton, while 32% were for Cornyn.
READ MORE: Ken Paxton eyes John Cornyn's Senate seat. Here's what the polls show
President Trump could also have an impact on future polls, but Jones says a decision on an endorsement may not come until next year.
"I don't think it's very likely that Donald Trump is going to endorse John Cornyn. I think the best Senator Cornyn can hope for is that Donald Trump remains neutral in the race and doesn't endorse anyone. And there's really no reason for him to endorse Paxton early because all that would do would be to alienate a key senator whose vote he may need at some point between now and December," said Jones.
Recent TV ads featuring Congressman Wesley Hunt have fueled speculation he may also launch a bid for Cornyn’s seat. If so, Hunt could position himself as a potential alternative to Paxton, but Jones said Hunt would be a strong contender only if Cornyn drops out.
"If Wesley Hunt were to enter the race with Cornyn and Paxton, all he would do would be to guarantee that it goes to a May runoff. And a May runs off is going to benefit Ken Paxton," said Jones.
What could the general election look like?
Big picture view:
If Paxton gets the nomination, Jones thinks it will provide an opening for Democrats.
"He would be facing a top-tier Democrat who would have somewhere between $50 and $100 million behind their campaign. And $50 to $100 million can do a lot to educate Texans about all of Ken Paxton's dirty laundry. And Ken Paxton has a boatload of it," said Jones.
Potential Democrats making a run for the U.S. Senate include former Rep. Colin Allred and state Sen, Roland Gutierrez. Both would reboot campaigns from the recent challenge against Sen. Ted Cruz.
Paxton's AG seat
Dig deeper:
There is one other potential seat to flip.
Paxton’s Senate bid means he can't run for re-election.
That will open up the Attorney General's office in the 2026 general election.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski and previous reporting by FOX 4 Dallas.