Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) called state Attorney General Ken Paxton a “con man” and “fraud” after Paxton launched his primary challenge to the sitting senator, vowing he would fight back against Paxton’s candidacy and win the GOP nomination.
Cornyn told reporters on Wednesday in comments filmed by The Daily Caller that President Trump’s agenda is the “biggest potential loser” from Paxton’s candidacy as potentially “hundreds of millions of dollars” will need to be spent on the Texas Senate race, preventing that amount from being used in other states like Michigan, New Hampshire and Georgia next year.
“Obviously, Mr. Paxton has a checkered past,” Cornyn said. “He is a con man and a fraud, and I think the people of Texas know that. This is what will be litigated over the course of this campaign.”
Paxton formally announced his candidacy for the Senate in an interview on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday after much speculation that he would challenge the senior Texas senator.
He has repeatedly criticized Cornyn, branding him as a “Republican in name only” or “RINO,” for some of the votes he has taken in the Senate and what he has argued is insufficient support for Trump.
Paxton and Cornyn have traded barbs back and forth for years, with the attorney general slamming Cornyn’s votes in favor of additional U.S. aid to Ukraine and bipartisan legislation on gun safety following the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.
Cornyn has gone after Paxton’s legal difficulties.
Paxton was indicted in 2015, soon after taking office as attorney general, on securities fraud charges based on accusations that he solicited investments for a server company without disclosing he was being paid by that company while serving as a state legislator.
He pleaded not guilty and denied all charges, eventually reaching a deal with prosecutors in 2024 for him to pay $300,000 and take part in community service to conclude the case.
Paxton also faced an effort to remove him from office when he was impeached by the state House in 2023 on 16 counts following allegations that he misused his office to benefit a real estate developer. He was acquitted on all counts in the state Senate.
The debate over Paxton’s fate and the coming primary battle between him and Cornyn have been seen as proxy battles between two wings of the Texas GOP — the more establishment Republicans and hard-liners.
Cornyn has in response to attacks repeatedly emphasized his support for Trump’s agenda, telling reporters on Wednesday that he was a supporter of the president during his first term, and it’s continued during his second term.
Paxton said on Tuesday that Texas has a “great” senator in Sen. Ted Cruz (R) and should have another who will “actually stand up and fight for Republican values.” He said “it’s definitely time for a change in Texas.”
Cornyn said people need to be able to trust their elected officials, and he’s “proud” of his record, noting his voting record overwhelmingly in favor of Trump’s agenda.
“I am not going to turn over this Senate seat that was once held by Sam Houston to somebody like [Paxton],” Cornyn said, referencing the former senator who led Texas during its independence movement from Mexico in the 1830s and later served as governor of the state. “We will fight this to the end, and we will win.”