Fox Business is catching major heat after former Texas Gov. Rick Perry made an appearance on Varney & Co., where he took an opportunity to politically stump for GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who many Republicans regard as a Republican In Name Only (RINO), for re-election, while also slamming Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who is running against Cornyn in the primary race.
During the interview, program host Stuart Varney steered the conversation toward the current Senate race in Perry’s home state of Texas, asking the former energy secretary why President Donald Trump hasn’t selected a candidate to support in the GOP primary. Perry pointed out comments from Trump about how he likes all three men in the race. Currently, it’s a three-way race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Wesley Hunt, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“Well, in this case, he stated, you know, he likes them all,” Perry replied. “He knows them all. They all supported him.” He then expressed his own pick in the race, going on to essentially deliver a stumping speech for Cornyn and seemingly taking digs at Paxton, though he didn’t call him out specifically. “I’m very upfront,” Perry said, going on to add, “I’m for John Cornyn. And this, for me, is a very simple issue.”
“Character counts. Ronald Reagan said that. I believe it today. John Cornyn is the reflection that character counts,” the former governor explained. “If you’re looking for somebody that votes 99% of the time with President Trump can be a real leader for Texas in the United States Senate, as John Cornyn is, it is pretty easy. Stick with the man who’s been performing for Texas, been performing for our country for a long time, and that’s John Cornyn.”
The comments Perry made about character are a veiled attack on Paxton who has been embroiled in several major controversies during his tenure in public service. He was once impeached and suspended from his position due to felony securities fraud charges. However, those charges were dismissed in exchange for doing 100 hours of community service, taking legal ethics courses, and paying $300,000 in restitution, according to the Houston Chronicle.
While the Republican Party establishment, which includes Perry, might be all-in on Cornyn, we recently reported on a new survey conducted in January 2026 by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, which suggests that the attorney general is the one who is likely headed to victory in the primary race. The poll found that 38% of likely voters in the GOP primary, which is to be held in March 2026, are planning to cast their ballots for Paxton. Cornyn was found to be trailing Paxton by a total of seven points, coming in with 31%, and Rep. Wesley Hunt pulling up the rear with 17%.
Republican voters have a highly favorable view of Paxton, with 72% saying they think highly of him. Hunt came in just behind Paxton with 70%, and Cornyn was a distant third with 61%. Paxton posted about the poll results on social media, saying, “Major independent poll shows me crushing Cornyn in the primary and outperforming him in the general.”
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“The pollster also shows Cornyn’s numbers becoming much worse since September — despite him lighting tens of millions on fire that should have gone to other Senate races,” the attorney general added. Many conservatives dislike Cornyn and consider him a RINO and an opportunist. Paxton, appearing on The Mark Davis program in January 2026, stated that Cornyn has never truly liked Trump, stating he has clips of the incumbent senator saying he didn’t want Trump to win the 2016 election and suggested he was a criminal.
Another example of why conservatives have a distaste for Cornyn is his support of a gun control law following a horrific school shooting in the state in 2022. A total of 19 young school children were murdered during the incident. Cornyn, according to KERA News, supported a bill that sought to enhance background checks for young gun buyers. He was immediately rebuked by the Texas Republican Party.
Social media account TeaPartyOG posted about Perry’s interview and subsequent shots taken at Paxton, writing, “Fox Business has the incredibly stupid former Texas Gov Rick Perry on to bash Ken Paxton for John Cornyn. To say Rick Perry is not the smartest guy in the room is an understatement. He’s not the smartest guy in his car. Vote @KenPaxtonTX.”
Many in the comments shared similar sentiments. One user said, “Rick Perry is a Uniparty RINO that tried to destroy Texas while he was Governor!” Another wrote, Remember when Rick Perry made shots mandatory for 6th grade girls via EXECUTIVE ORDER? Mmmm. Have never trusted him again.” A third commenter said, “All of those who used to support Perry are likely dead or moved onto better things. I don’t know a single person not voting for Paxton.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video