A group tied to Senate Republican leaders flouted a poll showing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) ahead of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a hypothetical three-way matchup.
A new poll conducted by One Nation, a non-profit aligned with the Senate Leadership Fund, found that Cornyn achieved a remarkable reversal, erasing Paxton’s massive polling lead seen in most previous polls. In a one-to-one matchup, the two were tied 39%-39%. If Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) joins, as many expect, Cornyn leads with 32%, followed by Paxton at 31% and Hunt at 17%.
Last month’s One Nation poll had Cornyn trailing Paxton by 8%.
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SLF Communications Director Chris Gustafson accompanied the news with a scathing statement, leaning into Cornyn’s strategy of attacking Paxton’s character.
“It’s clear that Texans trust Senator Cornyn’s conservative record of working with President Trump and delivering for Texas and look forward to re-electing him in 2026. As voters uncover Ken Paxton’s endless record of failures and scandals, they see what his ex-wife already knew: Paxton is nothing but a charlatan and a scumbag,” he said.
Early polls had the Trump ally Paxton leading Cornyn by double digits in most polls, setting him up for a blowout in the 2026 Senate primary. This was complicated by Paxton’s wife announcing her divorce from him earlier this year over alleged infidelity, something Cornyn’s campaign has leaned into.
Last week, Cornyn’s campaign filed a request for documents related to Paxton’s alleged affair, trying to determine whether he used taxpayer funds to meet his alleged mistress.
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“Crooked Ken Paxton used his office and taxpayer resources to conduct and conceal an affair once before,” Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak said. “Taxpayers deserve to know if he is doing it again. It’s a good bet he is.”
The scandal has taken a heavy toll on Paxton’s poll numbers, culminating in Cornyn retaking the lead in One Nation’s most recent poll.
