Sen. Cornyn puts character on the ballot in Texas Senate GOP primary battle against Ken Paxton
Sen. John Cornyn is emphasizing character as he faces his toughest challenge to date: His primary battle in the Texas Senate GOP primary against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In an interview for Eye On Politics last week, Cornyn said, "I believe that character does still matter, and I believe I've demonstrated I could be trusted."
Cornyn said he can't say the same thing for the Attorney General, who's hoping to unseat him after four terms.
This week, Cornyn's campaign released an ad highlighting a new website, inviting Texans to report any tips about Paxton and reminding them about the allegations of wrongdoing that have swirled around Paxton for years.
Late last month, Cornyn slammed Paxton on the platform X after his post about school districts having to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms.
"Might want to brush up on the Ten Commandments, Ken," the post reads.
When asked what he meant by that and which commandments he was referring to, Cornyn said, "All ten of them. I think this is indicative of the hypocrisy that we've seen from the Attorney General who pretends to be something he's not."
Paxton's wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, went public this summer, announcing on X that she was seeking a divorce on biblical grounds.
We asked the Paxton campaign for a response to the Cornyn campaign video and website, and they pointed us to an interview Paxton did on Fox Business Mornings With Maria program this week. Paxton said Cornyn is not a true MAGA Republican.
"That's going to come out this election," Paxton said."Even though he's been dishonest about his record, we'll have enough money to talk to the voters to tell them the truth about his record and my record."
Polls show tight race between Cornyn and Paxton
Cornyn's focus on character comes as polls show the race has tightened.
The Real Clear Politics average of polls in August showed Paxton led by 2.3 percentage points, 37.3%-35%.
In May, Paxton led Cornyn in one poll by 22 percentage points.
Still, a poll released on August 27 by "co-efficient" shows Paxton with a big lead over Cornyn among Trump voters, 52% to 27%.
Cornyn said he is focused on what he needs to do.
"That is, remind people what I've done, remind people what Ken Paxton has done and let them render their verdict," he said. "I'm confident of the outcome."
One reason the polls may have tightened is that records from Ad Impact show that in August, Super PACS that are supporting Cornyn spent nearly $5 million on TV ads in Texas. While Paxton's campaign and Super PACs supporting him didn't spend any money on ads. Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt of Houston, who's considering entering this primary, and groups supporting him spent $2 million in TV ads last month. Ad Impact predicts more than $100 million could be spent on TV ads for the Texas Senate race alone.
Both Cornyn and Paxton are hoping to win President Trump's endorsement. So far, he has not backed either of them but has called them both good men and friends of his.
Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming.