After weeks of struggling in the polls, incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R) appears to have closed the gap in his primary race against Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)… somewhat.
New polling from Texas Southern University shows that Attorney General Paxton is leading Senator Cornyn by 5 points among likely primary voters, which is down from a 9-point advantage in May. Last month, an Emerson College poll showed Senator Cornyn with a slim 1-point edge.
Other surveys, however, have showed the attorney general leading in the race. Specifically, the Decision Desk HQ polling average placed Attorney General Paxton with a lead of 12 points.
Matt Mackowiak, a senior advisor in the Cornyn campaign, attributes this momentum to the campaign’s aggressive advertising and the attorney general’s recent controversies.
“The combination of Ken Paxton’s summer from hell has coincided with our campaign working hard to educate Texans about Sen. Cornyn’s actual record, and this has produced undeniable and significant polling movement in our direction” Mackowiak explained in a statement.
While the Cornyn campaign is celebrating the gain in polls, Senator Cornyn could be facing his toughest race yet as more names are expected to announce a senatorial bid.
This week, state Rep. James Talarico (D) is expected to announce his own candidacy in the senate. He would join former Rep. Colin Allred (D) in the Democratic primary.
On the conservative side of the aisle, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) is rumored to be weighing his own announcement. This has angered supporters of Senator Cornyn, who have called a senate bid from Rep. Hunt “a vanity project.”
Despite most polls favoring Attorney General Paxton, Senator Cornyn’s supporters remain optimistic of the incumbent senator’s chances of prevailing victorious.
“Texans are seeing how hard Sen. Cornyn has fought for President Trump’s agenda and delivered real wins, including securing $11B+ in federal reimbursements for state border efforts,” Mackowiak said in a statement. “Meanwhile Ken Paxton is being asked about felony mortgage fraud allegations on national television and spent crucial summer weeks in Europe on a golf vacation,” he added.
“We are executing our plan and we will win this primary.”
