Paxton Leads Cornyn By Double Digits In Texas Senate Race, Poll Shows

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading Republican Sen. John Cornyn by double digits in the 2026 Texas Senate race, according to a recent Republican primary poll.

Paxton is ahead of Cornyn by 16 percentage points — 56% to 40% — in a two-way poll commissioned by the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), Punchbowl News first reported on Monday. Meanwhile, in a hypothetical three-way matchup with Republican Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is reportedly considering entering the primary contest, Paxton notched 44% of the vote to Cornyn’s 34% and Hunt’s 19%.

SLF, a super PAC that supports Republicans, is backing Cornyn’s Senate reelection bid. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Tim Scott have encouraged President Donald Trump to endorse Cornyn in the Senate GOP primary, CNN first reported in April. Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the contest.

The survey also found that in a head-to-head matchup with former Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred, who is reportedly mulling another Senate run, Cornyn led by 6 points and Hunt led by 4 points — but Paxton trailed by 1 point, Punchbowl News reported. Allred was the failed Democratic nominee for Texas’ other Senate seat in 2024,