The final stretch of the Senate runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton has curdled into a sour political feud, marked by adultery attacks, corruption accusations and competing claims over who truly represents today's Texas Republicans. As early voting begins Monday ahead of the May 26 runoff, the clash has deepened a split inside the party between pro-business ...

Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

The final stretch of the Senate runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton has curdled into a sour political feud, marked by adultery attacks, corruption accusations and competing claims over who truly represents today's Texas Republicans.

As early voting begins Monday ahead of the May 26 runoff, the clash has deepened a split inside the party between pro-business conservatism and MAGA-style confrontation. That's alarmed some Republicans who fear the bitterness could outlast Election Day.

Even so, both sides are airing sharper TV ads and working aggressively to turn out supporters.

Cornyn has a voter event Sunday at a barbecue restaurant in The Colony with GOP state Reps. Matt Shaheen of Prosper and Jeff Leach of Allen, and Paxton begins a seven-city swing Monday with a rally at a Dallas restaurant.

With the candidates embracing many of the same conservative priorities, the race has grown increasingly personal in recent days.

Cornyn has called Paxton unfit for office. On social media, he said Paxton has "repeatedly lied to Texans, his leadership team and his own family."

"Character still matters," Cornyn told The Dallas Morning News. "Ken Paxton's lack of good moral character is very well documented."

Paxton, meanwhile, has slammed Cornyn as an out-of-touch Washington fixture.

"Let's let John run in Rhode Island," Paxton said during an event in Grapevine. "He's had his chance. It's time for change."

While Cornyn and Paxton blister each other in their costly intraparty war, Democrat James Talarico is regrouping after a hard-fought primary win over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas.

He's using the lull to stockpile campaign cash, mend party divisions and court independents and moderate Republicans.

"My top priority as the Democratic nominee is to bring the coalition together," Talarico told The News.

That respite, however, will end abruptly after Republicans settle the runoff and redirect their attention toward November.

Talarico, a state representative from Austin, acknowledged opponents "are going to throw everything they've got at me." But he said his campaign would continue trying to build support across party lines.

"We have to keep doing the work of bringing Texans together across these divisions," he said.

Inside the GOP, some already are trying to contain the fallout from the Cornyn-Paxton tussle.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, one of the state's most influential Republicans, has publicly urged voters to fall in line behind whoever survives the runoff.

"No matter the outcome of the GOP primary runoffs, Republicans must unite to defeat the Democrats in November," he said earlier this month.

Split views

Former Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Jonathan Neerman likes that Cornyn is predictable, even boring.

"If Ken Paxton is the nominee, you could have a Republican wipeout of down-ballot candidates," Neerman said.

Cornyn, 74, is seeking a fifth term against the toughest opponent in a political career that began in 1985, when he became a state district judge before later winning statewide office as a Texas Supreme Court justice, attorney general and U.S. senator.

Cornyn has made character central to his reelection bid.

He has warned that if Paxton wins the nomination, his personal and professional troubles could alienate moderate Republicans and independents, costing the GOP the Senate race and hurting the party down-ballot in November.

Neerman said even if Cornyn and Paxton would vote the same way in the Senate 99% of the time, he still favors Cornyn's experience and stability.

"Cornyn has provided steady leadership with a dash of boring," Neerman said. "Boring is good."

U.S. Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, also backs Cornyn, saying his leadership in delivering for the state is part of "making Texas what it is today."

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton campaigns as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate at an event on Feb. 28, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images North America/TNS

"When John Cornyn talks, people listen because they respect him," Goldman said. "He's been tremendous for Texas."

Cornyn narrowly finished first in the March 3 primary over Paxton but fell short of a majority, requiring a runoff. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston finished third and has not made an endorsement.

Cornyn and his allies have centered much of their advertising around a blunt message: Paxton's years of scandal have disqualified him from higher office.

The most recent Cornyn ad revives adultery accusations against Paxton, saying he used burner phones and aliases to conceal an affair. The spot notes state Sen. Angela Paxton of McKinney filed for divorce on "biblical grounds."

"Ken Paxton has the ethics of a strip club owner," the narrator says. "Texas moms: Would you want your daughters to marry a man like Ken Paxton?"

Cornyn also has hammered Paxton over his Texas House impeachment in 2023 on corruption allegations, his long-running securities fraud indictment and accusations by former aides that he abused his office to help a political donor. Paxton denied wrongdoing and was acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial.

Trump loyalty

Laura Oakley, president of the Grapevine Republican Club, likes that Paxton picks fights.

"His victories have been overwhelming," said Laura Oakley, president of the Grapevine Republican Club. "He's pretty dadgum effective."

That combative appeal has been key to Paxton's pitch against Cornyn. The attorney general has portrayed Cornyn as a stale Washington insider who has spent decades in office with little to show for the conservative movement.

Paxton, a former state legislator who was elected AG in 2014, also has tried to cast doubt on Cornyn's ties to President Donald Trump.

In one TV ad, Paxton accused Cornyn of failing to support Trump's border wall push and highlighted past comments suggesting Trump's political moment had passed before Cornyn later endorsed him for president.

Cornyn said his remarks were taken out of context and has sought to strengthen his ties to Trump as both candidates continue chasing the president's endorsement.

Trump has not weighed in and neither has the state's top Republican, Gov. Greg Abbott, who said last week he won't be making an endorsement.

In one of his latest ads, Paxton describes himself as a "conservative fighter" who will take a "sledgehammer to the establishment."

"It's time for change in Washington," the narrator says.

He has mostly avoided long interviews with mainstream media outlets, focused heavily on Republican clubs, activist gatherings and other smaller events aimed at motivating the state's most conservative voters.

At the Grapevine Republican Club, Paxton challenged the crowd to name one thing Cornyn had accomplished. No one answered.

"We could do so much better," Paxton said. "We can change the country by changing Texas."

A 30-year hurdle

As Cornyn and Paxton batter each other in the runoff, Talarico has spent the spring preparing for November. He raised $27 million in the first three months of 2026, including $10 million after his primary victory, and has met with key party constituencies.

Talarico also has made several trips to North Texas and expanded his profile beyond the Democratic base. Last week, he appeared alongside former President Barack Obama in Austin, a viral moment Democrats hope helps consolidate support heading into the fall campaign.

Still, Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas in more than three decades, and Republicans already are previewing the lines of attack, portraying Talarico as a culturally liberal candidate out of step with Texas voters.

Both Cornyn and Paxton have signaled versions of that argument. Cornyn recently compared Talarico to Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while Paxton has labeled him a "far-left radical."

Talarico has brushed aside the criticism, saying Texans care more about rising costs, healthcare and cleaning up government than partisan fights over social issues.

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(Staff writer Joseph Morton in Washington contributed to this report.)

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