Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton delivered one of the most engaging and powerful speeches at CPAC, a conference for conservatives, emerging as the clear grassroots favorite running for Senate. His address drew massive cheers from the conservative activists and influencers in the audience who seemingly viewed him as the “man of the hour” for the Republican Party.
During other parts of the event, Paxton met with his supporters, delivered the keynote address for the Ronald Reagan dinner, and then spent time at a private reception where he snapped photos with people and shook hands. When Paxton’s competition for the Texas Senate seat came up, Sen. John Cornyn, the incumbent, the mood in the room changed considerably. Instead of enthusiastic cheers, Cornyn was greeted by boos that filled the entire room.
During his speech, Paxton was met with thunderous applause when he said, “I want you to know, there’s only reason I got through all that, and it’s by the grace of God. He absolutely delivered me, and he used the people of Texas to deliver me.” During the March 3, 2026 primary race, neither Cornyn nor Paxton drew in enough support to take home a clear victory.
As a result, the two are headed for a May 26 runoff. When it comes to raising campaign funds, Cornyn definitely has the edge, according to media reports into the matter, but Paxton doesn’t seem to sweat that, leaning instead on the momentum he’s gained with grassroots campaigning. The winner of the runoff race will go on to face Democrat James Talarico in the general election in November.
President Donald Trump has stated on numerous occasions that he plans to endorse one of the candidates, but as of this writing, there has been no final decision made. Paxton has made it clear throughout his campaign for the seat that he is on board with Trump’s agenda and messaging, which has really hit home for conservatives leaning more to the right, the report revealed.
“The real benefit of Paxton is that he is more an ally of Trump,” Luke Brown, a 21-year-old college student from Amarillo, Texas, said about the attorney general. “There’s got to be a change for newer conservatives.” Paxton managed to outmaneuver Cornyn during the primary, despite the incumbent finishing first, by supporting the SAVE Act, which calls for strict proof of citizenship to vote or register to vote.
If the legislation passed, Paxton said he’d consider bowing out of the primary before going on to call Cornyn a “coward.” A week after the insult, Cornyn suddenly changed his tune and said in an op-ed, “I support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary.” Paxton then delivered what many felt was one of the best lines of the night.
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“Unfortunately, John Cornyn has never been focused on this issue until right now, when I called him out on it,” he said to the audience. The SAVE Act would require folks looking to register to vote to provide proof such as a valid driver’s license or birth certificate to demonstrate they are a legal citizen of the U.S. Similar proof is to be presented when individuals go to cast a ballot at the polls.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video