Texas Senator John Cornyn is launching aggressive attacks against his Republican primary runoff rival while the state anticipates President Donald Trump’s promised backing in the race.
Cornyn’s campaign unveiled a new attack advertisement Thursday targeting state Attorney General Ken Paxton with multiple ethical and personal allegations. The move signals the beginning of what could become an even more contentious and costly second round of campaigning.
The advertisement highlights controversies surrounding Paxton, including his impeachment proceedings on corruption allegations that resulted in acquittal but revealed an extramarital relationship, plus a state securities fraud case that Paxton settled through a plea agreement while maintaining his innocence.
Campaign officials for Cornyn report investing tens of thousands of dollars to ensure voter exposure to the advertisement. While this represents a small fraction of the over $110 million already spent before Tuesday’s primary, it could signal much larger expenditures ahead if the six-minute video becomes shortened television commercials.
Trump refrained from backing any candidate during the primary phase, disappointing Republicans who worry about wasted resources and time in Texas rather than focusing on more competitive swing states. The president indicated Wednesday he plans to announce his choice for the May 26 runoff and expects the unendorsed candidate to withdraw, though no decision has been revealed.
Cornyn barely secured first place in Tuesday’s concluded primary but failed to reach the majority threshold needed to prevent a runoff. Representative Wesley Hunt placed third before being eliminated.
Republican leadership supports Cornyn, the established incumbent pursuing his fifth term, while cautioning that Paxton carries excessive controversy to succeed against Democratic candidate James Talarico in November’s general election.
However, Paxton has demonstrated durability against previous attacks and has positioned himself as a champion for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda. Speaking with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, he declared he would not withdraw regardless of endorsement developments.
“I’m going to give people in Texas a choice,” Paxton said. “The people in Washington can have their own opinion. The president can have his own opinion.”
Paxton presented an alternative proposal through social media, suggesting he might consider withdrawal if Senate Republican leadership eliminated the filibuster to advance Trump-supported legislation requiring strict citizenship verification for voting. This proposal remains stalled in the Senate.
Trump seemed irritated by Paxton’s defiance.
“That is bad for him,” he told Politico. “So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”
The president had previously stated on social media that he would endorse a Texas candidate because the divisive race cannot “be allowed to go on any longer.”
