An endorsement from Trump would give either candidate a boost to their candidacy. Paxton currently leads Cornyn by 11 percentage points in opinion polls.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has said that he will endorse a candidate in the U.S. Senate election in Texas in 2026, in which two of his political associates are running against each other.
During a flight on the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, to Italy and the Vatican City State for the funeral of the late Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church, Trump told reporters in the White House Press Pool that he liked both Cornyn and Paxton and lamented their rivalry for the Republican nomination.
“They’re both friends of mine. I like them both,” Trump said. “In a way, I wish they weren’t running against each other. But I like Paxton, I like Cornyn. They’re both good people, so I’ll make a decision somewhere, but two very good men.”
Paxton has served as the attorney general of Texas, a statewide elected office, since 2015, and has been elected to three terms in that role. In 2023, he was impeached and suspended from office by the Texas House of Representatives, by a large margin in the Republican-led body, for various allegations of felonious conduct related to the use of his office for personal favors. He was later acquitted in a trial by the Texas Senate.
Both Paxton and Cornyn have been longstanding figures in Texas politics. Paxton served for 12 years in both houses of the state legislature, while Cornyn preceded Paxton as attorney general from 1999 to 2002. Before then, he was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, which is an elected position in the state. Other than Paxton and Cornyn, only one candidate—Rennie Mann, the president of a local school board in central Texas—has entered the race.
Endorsements for both candidates have come from prominent figures. Cornyn has been endorsed by several of his Senate Republican colleagues, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who beat Cornyn in the Conference’s leadership election at the end of 2024. He has also been endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the Senate GOP’s official campaign organization that works to win elections for the party.
Meanwhile, Paxton has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Lance Gooden and Troy Nehls (R-Texas), as well as former Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has declined to make an endorsement in the race.
Paxton and Cornyn’s campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
