Texas Senator John Cornyn officially announced his re-election intentions this week in a race that is expected to include a vigorous primary contest in 2026. Not coincidentally, Cornyn has been working to smooth over fissures with a state party that has openly expressed frustrations with the senior senator, first over the passage of a gun safety bill he shepherded through the U.S. Senate in the wake of the Sutherland Springs shooting; and second, over Cornyn's outright criticisms of Texas' Attorney General Ken Paxton -- with the feud ongoing. The latter is understood to be considering  a challenge to Cornyn in 2026, which begs for a comparison of the two politicians and voters' views of them in Texas -- and in particular, the views of the committed Republican and conservative voters who will likely continue holding significant influence over the outcome of the 2026 primaries.

More information about either Senator Cornyn or Attorney General Paxton can be found in the polling search tool.

 

Recent Election Results

Recent General and Primary Election Results of Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton
Election Year	Candidate	General Percent	General Votes	Margin (R-D)	Primary Percent	Primary Votes	Challengers
2022	Ken Paxton	53.4%	4,278,986	781,719	68%	633,223	1
2020	John Cornyn	53.5%	5,962,983	1,074,219	76%	1,470,669	4
2018	Ken Paxton	50.6%	4,193,207	295,109	100%	N/A	0
2014	John Cornyn	61.6%	2,861,531	1,264,144	59.40%	781,259	7
2014	Ken Paxton	58.8%	2,742,646	969,538	44.50%	569,034	2
Source: Ballotpedia, accessed April 2, 2025.

 

Overall Job Approval Trends

 

Job Approval Trends Among Republicans

 

Recent Polling Among Key Primary Groups