{"id":2440866,"date":"2025-05-30T10:20:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T14:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornyn-to-lean-on-his-character-in-primary-race-against-paxton\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T10:20:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T14:20:51","slug":"cornyn-to-lean-on-his-character-in-primary-race-against-paxton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornyn-to-lean-on-his-character-in-primary-race-against-paxton\/","title":{"rendered":"Cornyn to lean on his \u2018character\u2019 in primary race against Paxton"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcornyn-to-lean-on-his-character-in-primary-race-against-paxton%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2440866&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is facing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-opposing-ketanji-brown-jackson-on-lower-court-romney-flip-flops-to-support-her-for-scotus\/\" title=\"After Opposing Ketanji Brown Jackson On Lower Court, Romney Flip-Flops To Support Her For SCOTUS\">competitive primary challenge<\/a> from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as he seeks a fifth term in the Senate. cornyn aims to position himself as a candidate of character, arguing that the race will test whether integrity still matters in politics, especially in light of Paxton&#8217;s impeachment over alleged misconduct. Despite this, Paxton claims Cornyn has not strongly supported former President Donald Trump and is presenting himself as a staunch defender of Republican principles. Recent polls indicate paxton currently leads with 43% to Cornyn&#8217;s 34%.The primary election is scheduled for March 2026, and Cornyn downplays his polling deficit by attributing it to a lack of recent exposure to voters. The Texas Senate race remains solidly Republican, despite some Democratic efforts to contest it.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Cornyn to lean on his &lsquo;character&rsquo; in primary race against Paxton<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2135335\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"John Cornyn\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX) faces a hotly contested GOP primary as he seeks a fifth term in office, but he is leaning on a &ldquo;character&rdquo; argument to keep his seat in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn faces a battle with GOP Texas Attorney General <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ken Paxton\">Ken Paxton<\/a> in the Republican Senate primary next year. The incumbent senator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/30\/us\/cornyn-paxton-texas-primary.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ken Paxton\">told<\/a> the <em>New York Times<\/em> he believes the race will be a contest to show if &ldquo;character still matters&rdquo; in politics, pointing to Paxton&rsquo;s impeachment by the state legislature.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3418870\/house-districts-could-be-redrawn-2026-midterm-elections\/\">Fuzzy Math: Several House districts could be redrawn before 2026 elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3425289\/steny-hoyer-85-primary-challenge-millennial-age-issue\/\">Steny Hoyer, 85, gets primary challenge from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/steny-hoyer-85-draws-primary-challenger-who-is-making-age-an-issue\/\" title=\"Steny Hoyer, 85, draws ...r who is making age an issue\">millennial making age<\/a> an issue<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3425055\/annie-andrews-senate-bid-lindsey-graham\/\">Former House candidate Annie Andrews launches Senate bid to challenge Lindsey Graham<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m willing to bet my career and my future and this job on my belief that character does matter still,&rdquo; Cornyn told the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>He also claimed Paxton was betting &ldquo;that he can get away with a whole litany of misbehavior and corruption that should disqualify him from the job.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Paxton was the subject of a misconduct investigation related to his role challenging the 2020 election results, as well as an investigation into corruption in his office, which led to his impeachment. All investigations into him were dropped. In a separate case, whistleblowers were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3372128\/6-million-whistleblowers-fired-texas-attorney-general-paxton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">awarded $6.6 million <\/a>after being fired for reporting Paxton to the FBI. <\/p>\n<p>Paxton has pushed back on Cornyn&rsquo;s line of attack and claimed that the incumbent senator has not sufficiently backed President Donald Trump. When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3374582\/ken-paxton-launches-campaign-senate-unseat-john-cornyn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"announcing his bid\">announcing his bid<\/a>, Paxton said he would be a senator who would &ldquo;actually stand up and fight for Republican values.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The primary is scheduled for March 2026, but polls have shown Cornyn trailing his challenger, Paxton. A <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >poll released earlier<\/a> this week from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University showed Paxton with 43% and Cornyn with 34%.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3424258\/poll-paxton-cornyn-texas-senate-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"POLL SHOWS KEN PAXTON BEATING INCUMBENT JOHN CORNYN IN HEATED BATTLE FOR TEXAS SENATE SEAT\">POLL SHOWS KEN PAXTON BEATING INCUMBENT JOHN CORNYN IN HEATED BATTLE FOR TEXAS SENATE SEAT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cornyn dismissed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-is-downplaying-polls-that-show-him-trailing-trump-how-much-will-they-matter\/\" title=\"...en dismisses polls showing him behind Trump - do they hold weight?\">early polling deficit<\/a>, telling the <em>New York Times<\/em> he is &ldquo;not as well known at this particular time,&rdquo; because he has not been on the ballot since 2020, while Paxton ran for reelection for Texas attorney general in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Cornyn lost his bid to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as Republican Senate majority leader.<\/p>\n<p>The Texas Senate race is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/ratings\/senate-race-ratings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"rated\">rated<\/a> as &ldquo;solid Republican&rdquo; by the <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>. Despite efforts from Democrats to make Texas in play in recent years, the 2022 and 2024 elections proved the Lone Star State is still firmly in GOP control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2135335\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2135335\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cornyn emphasizes &#8216;character&#8217; in primary against Paxton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2440867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/john-cornyn-senate-hearing-april-2025.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[56213,22362,18466,56212,37104],"class_list":["post-2440866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-character-2","tag-cornyn","tag-paxton","tag-primary-race","tag-texas-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/john-cornyn-senate-hearing-april-2025.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2440866"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2440870,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440866\/revisions\/2440870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2440867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2440866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2440866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2440866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}