John Cornyn thought he was too powerful to fall.
The longtime Texas Senator has been in Washington, D.C. for over two decades.
But John Cornyn got caught in one scandal that has RINOs panicking.
Cornyn’s desperate denial exposed his mounting panic
Senator John Cornyn is scrambling to save his political career after rumors swirled that he was considering dropping out of his 2026 reelection bid.
During a recent press briefing, the longtime RINO Senator from Texas addressed his challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and said he’ll "be on the primary ballot, no matter what."
Cornyn’s hasty denial exposed just how rattled he’s become as devastating poll after poll shows him getting crushed by Ken Paxton.
The 73-year-old Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and has never faced a serious primary threat until now.
"I’m absolutely determined to run and to win — if I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t run," Cornyn said. "I’ve simply labored too long in Texas Republican politics to turn the seat over to Democrats in November. … Any suggestion that I’m thinking about dropping out of the race is false."
But Cornyn’s panicked response tells a different story.
Multiple sources report that establishment Republicans are privately encouraging Cornyn to step aside before he gets humiliated in his own primary.
The fact that Cornyn felt compelled to address dropping out rumors shows just how dire his situation has become.
Ken Paxton delivered the brutal truth about Cornyn’s weakness
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton officially entered the Senate race in April, setting up a barnburner clash of two Republican titans that is poised to reverberate across state and national politics.
Paxton wasted no time exposing Cornyn’s vulnerabilities with conservative voters.
Paxton launched his campaign saying Texas needed "a change" and criticizing Cornyn’s lengthy Washington, D.C. tenure.
The Attorney General positioned himself as a conservative warrior fighting against the Washington, D.C. establishment that Cornyn represents.
Wasting no time framing himself as the outsider in the race, Paxton wrote on social media he was running to "take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment," while calling for voters to "send John Cornyn packing."
Paxton’s message is resonating with Texas Republicans who are sick of politicians who go native in Washington, D.C.
The Lone Star State Attorney General has built a national profile by fighting the Biden administration in court and championing conservative causes.
Meanwhile, Cornyn has alienated the Republican base by supporting gun control legislation after the Uvalde shooting and backing military aid to Ukraine.
Devastating polls show Cornyn’s campaign is dead on arrival
The polling numbers paint a nightmare scenario for Cornyn’s reelection hopes.
A Republican poll conducted by Brad Parscale’s firm found Paxton leading Cornyn by 17 points among likely GOP primary voters.
The poll found half of primary voters would back Paxton compared to one-third supporting Cornyn.
A separate survey by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, a firm used by the Trump campaign, found Paxton leading by 25 percentage points (53% to 28%) in a head-to-head matchup.
The most devastating finding for Cornyn was that Trump’s endorsement might not even save him.
In the Parscale poll, respondents favored Paxton even under a hypothetical scenario where Trump endorsed Cornyn — 44% to 38%.
This shows that Cornyn’s problems run deeper than just lacking Trump’s backing.
Texas Republican voters simply don’t trust him anymore.
Texas Republicans show stronger support for Paxton, with polling giving him 60% approval among Republican voters compared to Cornyn’s weak 48% rating.
These numbers explain why establishment Republicans are quietly encouraging Cornyn to drop out before he gets embarrassed.
Wesley Hunt and Ronny Jackson are circling
The smell of Cornyn’s political death has attracted other Republicans to the race.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas may enter his state’s Republican primary for a Senate seat, adding more intrigue to what is already a marquee midterm contest.
Hunt has been meeting with Trump administration officials about a potential Senate bid.
Sources report that Hunt has been in talks with Trump administration officials about entering the Senate race.
The Houston Congressman has been running statewide ads to boost his name recognition beyond his congressional district.
A social welfare organization dubbed Standing for Texas will unveil a seven-figure ad buy this week praising Hunt for his work supporting President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Congressman Ronny Jackson is also weighing a Senate run.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is not up for reelection until 2026, but Political insiders report that Jackson is weighing a Senate bid for 2026.
Jackson served as Trump’s White House physician and maintains close ties to the President.
Both Hunt and Jackson represent the America First wing of the Republican Party that has taken over in Texas.
Their interest in the race shows that even if Paxton stumbled, Cornyn would still face serious primary challenges from Trump-aligned conservatives.
The establishment’s last desperate gamble
Cornyn’s campaign has responded to his dire polling by launching vicious personal attacks against Paxton.
Cornyn’s campaign spokesperson took aim at Paxton over the latter episode, saying, "Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family."
The Cornyn camp is also trying to relitigate Paxton’s 2023 impeachment trial.
"It’s pretty clear that the attorney general has a dysfunctional office," Cornyn said of his opponent. "These allegations by high level lieutenants of the attorney general, that there was actual witness tampering during the impeachment trial and people were intimidated from testifying to the truth, is very troubling."
But these attacks are backfiring because Texas Republicans rallied around Paxton during his impeachment battle.
Many conservatives viewed Paxton’s impeachment as a witch hunt by the establishment to take down a fighter.
The Texas Senate ultimately acquitted Paxton of all charges, vindicating him in the eyes of his supporters.
Cornyn’s decision to relitigate the impeachment shows how desperate his campaign has become.
Trump holds all the cards in this political death match
The biggest wildcard in this race remains President Trump’s endorsement.
President Donald Trump told reporters last month: "I like Paxton, I like Cornyn, they’re both good people. So, I’ll make a decision somewhere along the line. But you have two very good men."
But the polling suggests that Trump’s endorsement may not be enough to save Cornyn.
Trump previously criticized Cornyn for the gun ban bill, and Paxton has highlighted this criticism in ads.
Cornyn has been desperately trying to court Trump’s favor by embracing the President’s agenda.
Cornyn has been working overtime to demonstrate his loyalty to Trump, even posting photos of himself reading "The Art of the Deal."
But few Texans are buying Cornyn’s attempted image makeover.
Texas Republicans remember that Cornyn was critical of Trump after January 6 and suggested the President shouldn’t run again in 2024.
Paxton, by contrast, has been a loyal Trump ally from the beginning.
The Attorney General led the legal challenge to the 2020 election results and has consistently championed Trump’s agenda.
This primary represents a battle for the soul of the Texas Republican Party between the old guard establishment and the America First movement.
All signs point to the America First movement delivering a crushing defeat to the last vestige of the Bush-era Republican establishment in Texas.
John Cornyn’s 22-year career in Washington, D.C. appears headed for a humiliating end at the hands of Ken Paxton and the conservative grassroots he thought he could ignore.
