Cornyn Snubs Texas GOP Convention, As More Republicans Declare They Will Not Vote For Corrupt Ken Paxton

Texas Tribune: “Some Cornyn voters aren’t ready to move on — or look past Paxton’s history of scandals.”

AUSTIN, TX — As the Texas GOP scrambles for a midterm convention to cover for scandal-plagued Ken Paxton, more Texas Republicans are declaring they will not vote for Paxton, while Senator John Cornyn seems to want to skip the convention entirely, saying he “may have a conflict”  in an interview with the Washington Examiner. 

The Texas Tribune recently interviewed Republican voters who said they won’t vote for Paxton because of his long record of corruption, saying he is “against what much of the Republican Party should stand for,” a “crooked guy,” and “too extreme.” 

The latest Texas GOP infighting comes as Republicans rage at Paxton over his bombshell voter fraud allegations and his luxury European vacation with his mistress. One GOP strategist said Paxton “has more baggage than a 747” and even Senator Ted Cruz admitted Talarico “has a real chance” against Paxton.

Read for yourself:

Washington Examiner: Cornyn hints at midterm convention snub after loss to Paxton: ‘May have a conflict’

July 13, 2026

By David Sivak

• Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) suggested he will be skipping a midterm convention in September that amounts to a pep rally for his successful primary rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

• “I may have a conflict,” Cornyn said wryly when asked if he would travel to the event, to be held for all GOP Senate nominees running for election this fall. The event is being hosted in Cornyn’s home state of Texas, making his deflection a sign of further enmity between the two men.

• When asked if his comment was a “no,” Cornyn reiterated that he “may have a conflict” when the Republican National Committee hosts the confab in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10.

• Cornyn, a four-term senator who was unseated in Texas’s May primary, has previously declined to campaign for Paxton and maintains that his nomination puts the Texas Senate seat further into play for Democrats.

• Paxton was impeached by the Texas House on corruption charges alleging bribery and obstruction of justice in 2023. The state Senate later acquitted Paxton of those charges.

• Cornyn is one of two GOP incumbents ousted this year in the Senate, and both faced challengers backed by President Donald Trump. The president’s endorsement of Paxton, in particular, enraged Senate Republicans who had poured tens of millions of dollars into supporting Cornyn.

• The choice of Dallas for the midterm convention, a riff on the multiday events that take place in presidential election years, is notable given past Democratic attempts to flip Texas, which is ordinarily a red state.

• Polls currently show a tied race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico with Paxton as the nominee.

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