Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas, is getting ready to challenge Senator John Cornyn in what could be the nastiest and most expensive Republican Party showdown of the 2026 election.
In an interview on Tuesday in Dallas, Mr. Paxton tiptoed close to declaring himself a candidate, offering up the kind of legislation he would first propose if elected to the Senate — tax cuts — and describing why he felt he could do more in Washington, D.C., than in Texas.
“I just think there’s a lot of things that you could do at the federal level,” Mr. Paxton said. “Trump can use the help and have a senator that actually is supportive and not critical.”
Asked how he made his decision to run, Mr. Paxton began answering the question. Then he was reminded by a campaign consultant that he had not yet officially decided to run.
“Right,” Mr. Paxton said.
The likelihood of a primary between Mr. Paxton and Mr. Cornyn has been growing in recent months. It would be perhaps the biggest electoral face-off yet in the ongoing war between the Texas Republican Party’s old guard and an ascendant wing of hard-right social conservatives aligned with Mr. Paxton and President Trump.
The looming clash has been among the worst kept secrets in Texas politics.
“Good luck with your primary, John,” posted Colin Allred, a former Democratic representative in Dallas who unsuccessfully challenged Senator Ted Cruz last year and has said he is considering entering the 2026 Senate race.