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Posted on 02/22/2026 11:39:02 AM PST by SharpRightTurn
Showdown
Career Politician on the Ropes as Grassroots Conservatives Demand New Blood Cornyn Flooded With Swamp Cash While Texas Voters Ask: What Has He Actually Delivered?
Texas Republicans are sending a clear message: they’re tired of Washington insiders who talk conservative at home but cut deals behind closed doors.
After more than two decades in the U.S. Senate, John Cornyn is facing the political fight of his career — and this time, it’s coming from within his own party.
Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt are crisscrossing the Lone Star State, hammering Cornyn as the embodiment of the GOP establishment — a fixture of the D.C. club who has outstayed his welcome.
“Name One Accomplishment”
At a packed rally in Magnolia, Paxton challenged voters to name a single “great accomplishment” Cornyn has delivered for Texas after decades in office.
For many grassroots conservatives, it’s a fair question.
Cornyn has long marketed himself as a reliable conservative and ally of President Trump. But critics point to his involvement in bipartisan gun legislation in 2022 and years of Beltway dealmaking as proof that he’s more comfortable in Senate leadership circles than in the America First movement.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has notably withheld an endorsement in the race — a silence that speaks volumes in a Republican primary.
Establishment Cash vs. Grassroots Energy
According to ad-tracking data, this race has become one of the most expensive Senate primaries in history — with nearly $100 million spent or reserved on advertising.
More than half of that spending is backing Cornyn.
Groups aligned with Senate leadership have poured millions into pro-Cornyn messaging, reinforcing what Paxton and Hunt are arguing on the campaign trail: that the Washington establishment is desperately trying to protect one of its own.
Hunt openly criticized national Republican groups for continuing to prop up Cornyn, calling the strategy a waste of money and a rejection of the grassroots mood across Texas.
Voters attending campaign events have been blunt.
“He’s horrible,” one Texas Republican voter said of Cornyn at a recent stop.
Others described wanting “fresh blood” and a senator who will fight — not negotiate — with the D.C. machine.
Small-Town Texas, Big-Time Frustration
From Magnolia to Trinity to Tyler, conservative voters are showing up in force to hear alternatives to the longtime incumbent.
At a small-town sheriff’s scholarship breakfast in Trinity County — population under 15,000 — Hunt spoke about faith, service, and the need to replace career politicians who’ve grown disconnected from everyday Texans.
Later that evening at The Angry Elephant in Magnolia — a popular Republican hangout — Paxton drew a fired-up crowd eager for a fighter in the mold of President Trump.
For many attendees, Cornyn’s longevity isn’t an asset. It’s the problem.
They see seniority not as leverage, but as evidence that he’s become part of the system voters are trying to dismantle.
The Impeachment Factor — and the Trump Comparison
Cornyn and his allies argue that nominating Paxton would jeopardize the seat, frequently pointing to the attorney general’s 2023 impeachment in the Texas House — proceedings from which he ultimately survived politically.
Paxton, however, draws a direct comparison to President Trump, who was impeached twice by Democrats before returning to the White House.
“Look where he’s at,” Paxton told supporters, underscoring the idea that establishment attacks can backfire when voters believe a candidate is being targeted for fighting the system.
A Referendum on the Republican Party’s Future
Early voting is underway, and Election Day is March 3.
What’s happening in Texas isn’t just a Senate primary — it’s a referendum on whether the Republican Party will remain in the hands of entrenched D.C. insiders or shift fully toward an unapologetic America First direction.
Cornyn has the money. He has Senate leadership backing. He has decades of institutional relationships.
But Paxton and Hunt appear to have something far more powerful in a Republican primary: voter frustration with the establishment.
And in today’s GOP, that may be the only currency that truly matters.
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Vote splitting has really, really hurt us more times than l can count. It is the best weapon the GOPe has. The other is open primaries.
Cornyn should have the democrat vote locked up in the primary. That should be enough to get him in the runoff.
Not if Hunt does the right thing and drop out. A runoff is 3 months of wasted time. Said it before.
Mere hours before Arlen Specter became a highly partisan Democrat, Cornyn’s staffer assured me that Arlen Specter was not only a dependable Republican, but a deeply committed conservative.
In the possible event Cruz goes to SCOTUS Hunt would be a logical one to be appointed to the senate but not if he does a ‘vote your conscience’ trick.
Just imagine Cruz confirmation hearings should he get nominated for SCOTUS. It would help us in November. Rats would want him out of the senate and rinos would $hit their pants.
Good. That RINO has been useless in many situations.
Litmus test for Hunt is whether he backs Paxton in a run off with Cornyn. If he doesn’t, it will prove that the establishment put him in to split off conservatives.
Cornholio finishing 3rd would actually make me even happier than Paxton winning!
“Vote splitting has really, really hurt us more times than l can count. It is the best weapon the GOPe has. The other is open primaries.”
Very good points.
“Litmus test for Hunt is whether he backs Paxton in a run off with Cornyn. If he doesn’t, it will prove that the establishment put him in to split off conservatives.”
I have wondered about that myself (particularly whether some Cornyn supporters were instrumental in bringing Hunt into the race).
Not fond of Cornyn but don’t trust Paxton-where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Cornyn is a Rhino but Paxton seems sleezy.
“Good. That RINO has been useless in many situations.”
Yes, Cornyn has been pretty uniformly worthless from my standpoint.
Fingers crossed! It’s been years since I could vote in Texas... If only...
Paxton just fired that Catholic girl from the tolerance commission for saying she’s not a Zionist and also not anti-Semitic.
“Mere hours before Arlen Specter became a highly partisan Democrat, Cornyn’s staffer assured me that Arlen Specter was not only a dependable Republican, but a deeply committed conservative.”
Ah, the the specter of Specter. I haven’t thought of that pompous, revolving door turncoat in a long while.
Good. Time to take RINO’s to the curb like the bags of trash they are. Can’t wait for him to lose.
Hope it doesn’t go to a runoff.
[Paxton just fired that Catholic girl from the tolerance commission for saying she’s not a Zionist and also not anti-Semitic.]
“Vote splitting has really, really hurt us more times than l can count. It is the best weapon the GOPe has. The other is open primaries.”
Yep, they even used it in POTUS elections twice to get Clinton elected. I pray Cornyn is done for good. He has not ever been a conservative.
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