POLL: Paxton leading Cornyn in early polling for Texas Senate seat

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has been in office since 2002, but his time may be coming to an end.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is primarying Cornyn, and recent polling has Paxton in the driver's seat.

Paxton is running

There was a time when Cornyn was considered a bit of a legend in Texas politics, having taken a seat on the bench in 1985, then serving on the Texas Supreme Court for six years, and finally serving as the Texas Attorney General before taking Phil Gramm’s seat as a Senator.

For years, Cornyn was untouchable, but those days are clearly gone, and Attorney General Ken Paxton believes he is the man to take the seat away from him.

At 73, and from another time, I have been trying to get Cornyn out of that seat for years, and Paxton agrees.

He stated, "It's definitely time for a change in Texas. We have a great US Senator in Ted Cruz and it's time we have another great Senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in a very significant way.”

Trump Holding Off

I feel pretty confident in saying that I don’t believe Cornyn and Trump have the best of relationships, especially since Cornyn was a Senator McConnell (R-KY) loyalist.

Paxton, on the other hand, is a Trump loyalist, having defended Trump and his administration in court, filing dozens of suits to defend Trump’s agenda.

Trump has been very diplomatic, refusing to jump in on the race this early, clearly wanting to see who gets the nod right before voters head to the polls.

When asked who he was supporting, Trump stated, “In a way, I wish they weren’t running against each other. I’ll make a decision somewhere along the line.”

Paxton takes huge lead

This race is just getting started, and Paxton just came off an impeachment effort, but you would never know that by recent polling.

In the most recent primary poll, it was Paxton with 56% to Cornyn’s 40%, which I am sure has some Republicans baffled. Even when Texas state Rep. Wesley Hunt is in the race, who is reportedly considering a run, Paxton maintains his lead over Cornyn by 10%, with Hunt trailing the field by double digits.

On the other side of the coin, there are already rumors that Beto O’Rourke is considering another run, having nearly pulled off the upset against Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) a few years ago.

Ironically, in terms of a Democrat taking this election, Paxton is probably the more beatable of the two GOP contenders, but I still refuse to believe there are enough Democrats in our state to let Dems steal a seat in the Senate. One thing is for sure, Trump will back the winner of the GOP primary, and that will bring MAGA out in force to support that candidate.