Texas is ground zero for the fiercest Republican primary fight in America.
And President Donald Trump is doing something almost unheard of.
He’s staying out of it.
As early voting begins, the 2026 Texas Senate primary has turned into a three-way brawl between Attorney General Ken Paxton, longtime Sen. John Cornyn, and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
All three call themselves loyal allies of the president.
All three plaster photos with Trump across their campaign sites.
All three are fighting to prove who is the “true MAGA” choice.
And Trump? He’s not picking sides. At least not yet.
“I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet,” Trump told reporters this week while heading back to Washington. “It’s got a ways to go. I like all three of them.”
That single sentence has set off alarms inside Republican circles.
Because when Trump holds back, it usually means one thing: the race is volatile.
This is not just a primary. It’s a referendum on the future of the GOP.
Paxton is running as the insurgent warrior. Cornyn is the establishment survivor.
Cornyn has held the Senate seat since 2002. He is a fixture in Washington. A four-term incumbent. A steady hand in Republican leadership circles.
Paxton calls that a problem.
He frames Cornyn as “Washington’s man,” arguing Texas needs someone who will “fight, not compromise.”
Recent polling from the University of Houston shows Paxton slightly ahead with 38 percent of likely GOP primary voters. Cornyn trails at 31 percent. Hunt sits at 17 percent.
That margin has electrified the grassroots.
But Paxton carries serious baggage.
He was impeached in 2023 by the GOP-controlled Texas House on charges including abuse of public trust and bribery. He was later acquitted by the Texas Senate. In 2024, he also reached a deal to avoid trial on felony fraud charges.
Then came his personal turmoil. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year “on biblical grounds,” alleging adultery. Court records were initially sealed but later unsealed after media challenges.
Still, Paxton’s base remains loyal.
“Ken Paxton has taken bullets for conservative causes,” said one Texas GOP strategist. “His voters see him as battle-tested, not broken.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is firmly behind Cornyn.
“Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt have repeatedly gone AWOL when President Trump needed them most,” said NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez. “Senator Cornyn has delivered.”
The NRSC’s internal polling suggests Cornyn performs stronger in a general election matchup against Democrats.
Translation: Washington Republicans fear Paxton could put a once-safe red seat at risk.
Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 1994. But party leaders are warning that a messy primary could weaken the eventual nominee.
“This is not the year to gamble,” one GOP insider said bluntly.
Wesley Hunt is trying to carve out a lane as the next-generation conservative.
But his campaign erupted in controversy last week after he accused Cornyn’s team of doxxing him. A staffer briefly posted Hunt’s address online while referencing old voter-fraud accusations from 2016. The post was later deleted and edited.
Hunt blasted the move as reckless.
“You don’t put a man’s family at risk over politics,” a Hunt ally said.
The incident pushed Paxton and Hunt into rare alignment. Both have sharpened attacks on Cornyn as early voting unfolds.
On the other side, the Democratic primary is tightening.
State Rep. James Talarico and Rep. Jasmine Crockett are locked in their own contest.
Talarico has built a national profile, including viral moments and a high-profile appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. But he faced backlash after former Democratic nominee Colin Allred rebuked him over comments that were interpreted as racially charged. Talarico insists his words were “mischaracterized.”
Crockett, a rising Democratic star, has leaned into her aggressive posture against Trump and MAGA Republicans. She has gained national attention for her combative style in congressional hearings.
Both Democrats are raising serious money.
Still, history looms large. Texas has not sent a Democrat to statewide office in more than three decades.
The primary vote is set for March 3. If no candidate clears 50 percent, a runoff will be held May 26.
That runoff scenario is becoming increasingly likely.
The real wildcard remains Trump.
His endorsement could reshape the field overnight. Or he could stay neutral, allowing Texas Republicans to settle the score themselves.
For now, the president is watching.
And Texas Republicans are at war.
One longtime Texas donor summed it up this way:
“This isn’t just a Senate race. It’s a fight over what MAGA means in 2026.”
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MAGA knows we’ve already had way to much of RINO Cornyn !!!