Ken Paxton Continues To Lead John Cornyn In GOP Primary For Texas Senate Race, Poll Shows

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to lead Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Texas, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by Pulse Decision Science, showed Paxton got 36% of the support, compared to 27% for Cornyn, the incumbent. Rep. Wesley Hunt got 15% and 22% of respondents said they are still undecided.

Should the elections effectively show such results, Paxton and Cornyn would move on to a runoff on May 26. The latter has been warning that Republicans will suffer a "massacre" if his main rival becomes the party's candidate.

"If Ken Paxton is the nominee, we could well experience a massacre and the first Democrat elected since 1994 in the state of Texas," Cornyn said on Wednesday. "I know people assume that Texas is a red state, will always be a red state, but when you nominate a flawed individual with the sort of political baggage that Ken Paxton has, you are risking all that," he added.

Paxton, in contrast, said he is more likely to energize voters who may not be sure whether to go to the polls if President Donald Trump isn't on the ballot. "Ensuring that low-propensity America First voters are motivated to show up in November is critical to Republicans' success in 2026, and John Cornyn is the single worst person in Texas to accomplish that," he said earlier this month.

Paxton has also released an ad touting his relationship with Trump. "'Brave. Strong. Tremendous guy.' That's how President Trump describes me," Paxton said in a statement. "While John Cornyn was supporting the Democrat lawfare to stop President Trump and trying to derail his presidential campaigns, I have been a steadfast supporter of the President and his agenda," he added.

"The people of Texas have a long memory, and they know all the ways that Cornyn has failed us," he continued. "There's a reason that he's spent over $70 million and is still far behind me in the polls. They know what he's selling, and they aren't buying it."

Another poll from earlier this month also had Paxton ahead. The survey, conducted by the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs, showed the attorney general got 38% of the support, compared to Cornyn's 31%. 17% of respondents said they are likely to vote for Hunt and 12% were still undecided.