2020 Spanish Campaign Ad Puts John Cornyn in the Crosshairs of Primary Challenge

A Spanish-language campaign advertisement from 2020 has resurfaced at a crucial moment for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), reigniting debate over his immigration record just as he faces a Republican primary challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX).

The 30-second ad, which originally aired in major Texas markets including Houston, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley, featured a narrator describing Sen. Cornyn as someone who "fights for all Texans", including Dreamers, the term used for immigrants brought to the United States as children.

That message didn't sit well with some Texas conservatives this week.

Representative Brandon Gill (R-TX) took to X to call the ad "absolutely disqualifying," arguing that elected officials should be focused on American citizens rather than those in the country undocumented.

Rep. Gill threw his support behind AG Paxton, writing that the ad was "one of many reasons for Texans to vote for Ken Paxton in the runoffs next month."

Paxton Brings More Receipts

Paxton himself piled on, posting a video to X suggesting that Cornyn had personally lobbied President Obama to pursue amnesty legislation, and that when Obama issued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order instead, Cornyn ultimately expressed support for giving DACA recipients a path to citizenship.

The video Paxton shared included footage of Cornyn speaking on the Senate floor, where the senator argued that DACA recipients deserve a permanent legislative solution rather than living under the uncertainty of an executive order that has bounced through courts for years.

Cornyn was critical of how Obama handled the issue, saying the president bypassed Congress, but maintained that the young people affected are innocent and deserve better.

However, Cornyn has never hidden his position on Dreamers. He has long argued that children should not bear responsibility for decisions their parents made, a line he has repeated publicly on multiple occasions.

Whether that stance will cost him in a Republican primary remains the central question heading into the runoff.