A Republican battle is intensifying over the Texas U.S. Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn. According to a recent poll, Cornyn is likely to face a primary runoff with Ken Paxton, the state Attorney General known for his strong MAGA ties.
The poll, which emerged just days before a significant Republican contest, appears to have been commissioned by another contender, Representative Wesley Hunt. Hunt announced his candidacy at the last moment, adding another layer of intrigue to the race.
Results show a decline in Cornyn’s support, which has dropped to 15.4% among likely Republican primary voters. This marks a decrease of about 10 percentage points from an earlier poll conducted in February. Meanwhile, Paxton leads with 38.8%, and Cornyn holds 29.5% support.
The poll’s findings were shared on Thursday via the X account @pie0myWesley. The data was uploaded to a Google Drive account associated with James Kyrkanides, a top aide for Hunt. The account is reportedly “Owned by Hunt for Congress,” as first noted by the New York Times. Kyrkanides has not returned requests for comment from The Post.
Previous polls conducted by J.L. Partners have shown Hunt either tied with or leading Cornyn, who is serving his fourth term. At a campaign event in The Woodlands near Houston, Cornyn warned voters against “complacency,” emphasizing the competitive nature of the race.
Two J.L. Partners polls previously indicated Hunt was either tied or ahead of Cornyn, a four-term senator who chided voters twice at a campaign event Saturday in The Woodlands area outside Houston that “complacency kills.
“This is not about me,” he said. “This is about our state This is about our party. And this is about our nation’s future. And I need your help.
“You see what’s happened in some of these elections like Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani in New York where 15% of registered voters turned out. People wonder, ‘How does somebody like that get elected?’” he said of the Democratic socialist. “Well, it’s because of the people who show up and vote.”
Nearly half a dozen potential voters who attended President Trump’s event touting “American Energy Dominance” in Corpus Christi on Friday told The Post they would be voting for Paxton — with one attacking Cornyn as a “RINO,” or “Republican In Name Only,” candidate.
“We have a great attorney general, Ken Paxton,” said Trump, who has not endorsed any of the three candidates, to the crowd. “We have a great senator, John Cornyn. They’re in a little race together. … They’re both great people, too.”
The two Senate GOP candidates have been trading barbs in digital ads, with Cornyn’s camp pushing out a video savaging the “crooked” Texas AG for having “cheated on his wife” and giving “millions of Texas tax dollars to left-wing organizations” that “performed gender-affirming services to kids as young as seven.”
Paxton’s daughter fired back in a column and video statement defending her father.
“My dad is not perfect; none of us are. But he is a man of deep faith, genuine love for his family, and an unrelenting commitment to doing right by the people of Texas,” wrote Mattie Hayworth.
But the state AG’s electability has caused consternation among Republicans that the Senate GOP seat could flip in the November midterms if the Texas AG wins the primary.
