Cornyn leans on outdated Trump endorsement as Paxton pulls ahead in polls

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas reposted an outdated endorsement from President Donald Trump on Monday as the 2026 Senate primary race ramps up.

Cornyn's campaign account posted the Trump endorsement despite it being from 2020, claiming that Cornyn votes with the president "99% of the time" and vows to "fight for Texas with the President." At the same time, early polling shows Cornyn trailing primary challenger Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"Senator Cornyn has a 99% voting record with Trump as president and continues to be his close legislative ally," Matt Mackowiak, a senior adviser to Cornyn, told Blaze News. "In 10 months, when Texas GOP primary voters completely understand the record of both candidates, we are confident we will win."

Even still, Cornyn may not be able to survive on Trump's coattails.

Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ever since Paxton entered the primary race, Cornyn's campaign has focused on tethering the senator to Trump. As of this writing, the last dozen posts on his campaign account have mentioned Trump, despite the fact that the president has yet to make an endorsement in the primary.

Even still, Cornyn may not be able to survive on Trump's coattails. Paxton is currently polling 16 points ahead of Cornyn, according to a new poll from the Senate Leadership Fund published Monday. The same poll shows Paxton 10 points ahead in a three-way race with Cornyn and Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas, who is reportedly considering a 2026 Senate run.

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

That being said, the same poll showed that Cornyn may be a more viable candidate than Paxton in the general election against former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, who is considering another Senate run.

Cornyn is polling just one point ahead of Allred, according to the SLF poll, while Paxton is polling six points behind the former Democratic lawmaker. Allred previously attempted to unseat Republican Rep. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2024, although he lost by nearly nine points.

Editor's note: This article was updated to include a statement from Cornyn's campaign.

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