Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Two Texas House Republicans have endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s 2026 Senate bid \u2014 breaking with longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn<\/a> for what\u2019s anticipated to be a heated primary contest.<\/p>\n Rep. Lance Gooden<\/a> (R-Texas), a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, announced his backing of Paxton in a statement first shared to Fox News<\/a> on Thursday. <\/p>\n “Attorney General Paxton is the conservative champion we need in the U.S. Senate,” Gooden wrote.<\/p>\n He added that Paxton \u201cwill take a sledgehammer to the establishment, secure the border, and fight hard for President Trump\u2019s agenda. Ken Paxton has my complete and total endorsement.”<\/p>\n Gooden\u2019s endorsement comes two days after Paxton, a widely known MAGA firebrand, launched his highly anticipated 2026 Senate campaign<\/a> to challenge Cornyn.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely time for a change in Texas,\u201d Paxton said. \u201cWe have another great U.S. senator in Ted Cruz. And it\u2019s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n Gooden isn\u2019t the first Texas Republican to throw his support behind Paxton. Rep. Troy Nehls<\/a> (R-Texas) touted his backing of the attorney general\u2019s campaign bid Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a bulldog, and that\u2019s what we need in the Senate,\u201d Nehls told POLITICO.<\/p>\n Cornyn and Paxton are longtime ideological rivals. Paxton has repeatedly attacked Cornyn<\/a> for what he views as inadequate embracing of Trump, and Cornyn recently bashed the Trump rabble-rouser over his legal scandals.<\/p>\n Cornyn recently earned the backing of Senate Majority Leader<\/a> John Thune<\/a>, who beat Cornyn in last year\u2019s battle to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-Ky.) as the party leader in the chamber. The NRSC \u2014 led by Sen. Tim Scott<\/a> (R-S.C.) \u2014 also said it would support the incumbent.<\/p>\n While both moves were expected, it signals the primary could get incredibly expensive \u2014 and that national Republicans could be willing to spend to back the longtime lawmaker. <\/p>\n But the Republican endorsement that will likely hold the most weight is Trump\u2019s. While the president has yet to announce whom he\u2019ll support, Trump and Paxton have long been closely aligned.<\/p>\n Ben Jacobs contributed to this report.<\/p>\n