‘Put us down for Ken Paxton’: Trump endorsement energizes Texas voters ahead of runoff
DALLAS — Across the Dallas metroplex and its fast-growing suburbs, Republican voters repeatedly invoked President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton when explaining their support for the Texas attorney general in the GOP Senate runoff against Sen. John Cornyn.
The race is unfolding as Texas continues to experience rapid population growth, particularly in the suburbs surrounding Dallas, where Republicans are competing to shape the future direction of the party.
“Ken Paxton. Put all three of us, one, two, three down for Paxton,” Carolyn Harvey of Celina, Texas, told Fox News Digital, pointing to her group.
“He’s going to be good for Trump,” another voter chimed in. “And what’s good for Trump is good for us, too.”
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The comments underscore the central tension driving Texas’ GOP Senate runoff, as Republicans weigh whether to stick with Cornyn, a longtime Senate incumbent, or rally behind Paxton, whose close alliance with Trump has made him a favorite among MAGA voters eager to send a more combative conservative to Washington.
“Cornyn’s never really had trouble winning over the years, but Trump backing Paxton is pretty strong,” said Frank Reeves of Dallas, a medical transport driver. “I’m pretty sure it’ll be Paxton in November, and as long as a conservative wins, I’m happy.”
Not every Republican voter interviewed by Fox News Digital said Trump’s endorsement alone would determine their vote. Some pointed to Cornyn’s experience in the Senate, while others said they were still weighing concerns surrounding Paxton’s legal controversies and impeachment battle.
“I’m a little torn. Paxton’s had a lot of controversy in his life,” one voter said, adding that she had been a conservative her entire life.
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Trump’s endorsement of Paxton earlier this year transformed what had been an expected primary challenge into one of the GOP’s most closely watched Senate battles of the 2026 cycle.
The attorney general has spent years cultivating close ties with Trump and the MAGA movement, while Cornyn — despite a reliably conservative voting record — has at times faced criticism from the party’s right flank over bipartisan dealmaking in Washington.
Paxton has cast Cornyn as emblematic of an older Republican establishment increasingly out of step with the GOP base, particularly on immigration and spending.
Cornyn, meanwhile, has emphasized his support for Trump while arguing that Paxton’s legal controversies and impeachment battle could make him a risky general election candidate despite his appeal with MAGA voters.
Whether Cornyn’s long Senate record can overcome Trump’s backing of Paxton may ultimately depend on suburban Republican voters like those gathered outside Dallas, many of whom said the president’s endorsement had already settled the race in their minds.
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