President Donald Trump just did what Texas Gun Rights did a long time ago: endorse Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in the Republican campaign for U.S. Senate.
And for gun owners, the choice could not be more obvious.
For decades, John Cornyn has gone to Washington, talked like a conservative back home, and then helped the gun confiscation lobby expand the federal gun control machine when it mattered most.
Cornyn spearheaded Fix NICS, expanding the flawed federal gun ban registry.
Then he helped Joe Biden pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Biden himself called the most significant gun control law in decades.
And throughout his career in Washington, Cornyn has refused to answer candidate surveys from Texas Gun Rights and our national affiliate, the National Association for Gun Rights, proving he has no interest in going on the record for gun owners.
Trump Finally Ends the Guessing Game
CNN reported Tuesday that President Trump endorsed Paxton in the runoff, calling him a “WINNER” and saying Cornyn “was not supportive” when times were tough. The endorsement landed just one week before Election Day, with early voting already underway.
Cornyn spent more than a year trying to win Trump’s support.
He did not get it.
Paxton ran to Cornyn’s right, stood with Trump when it mattered, and made the case that Texas Republicans need a fighter in the U.S. Senate.
Trump agreed.
That is a massive blow to the Austin and Washington establishment that has spent months trying to convince grassroots voters they have no choice but to hold their nose and stick with Cornyn.
They were wrong.
Grassroots Gun Owners Made Their Voices Heard
Trump’s endorsement also did not happen in a vacuum.
In 2025, after President Trump repeatedly said he liked both Paxton and Cornyn and wished they were not running against each other, Texas Gun Rights mobilized gun owners across the state to send a clear message:
Do not reward John Cornyn’s betrayals with an endorsement.
TXGR delivered thousands of signed letters from grassroots gun owners directly to the White House, urging him not to endorse Cornyn.
And now, with President Trump endorsing Ken Paxton, the Washington establishment’s plan to drag Cornyn across the finish line just took a massive hit.
Cornyn’s “Electability” Argument Is Falling Apart
Cornyn’s entire closing argument has been fear.
Fear that Paxton cannot win.
Fear that Republicans will lose Texas.
Fear that radical gun grabber James Talarico will walk into the U.S. Senate unless voters reward the very incumbent who helped Joe Biden pass gun control.
But new polling undercuts that argument.
A Texas Southern University poll reported by The Texan shows Cornyn and Paxton both in tight hypothetical general-election matchups against Talarico. Cornyn leads Talarico by just 45% to 44%, while Paxton and Talarico are tied at 45% to 45%. The poll surveyed 1,223 likely November voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8%.
In other words, Cornyn is not running away with the general election.
He is not some unbeatable juggernaut.
He is nearly tied with Talarico, too.
And there is a reason for that.
John Cornyn and his allies have wasted more than $100 million trying to protect his own seat and smear Ken Paxton.
That is money that could have been spent exposing James Talarico’s radical record.
It could have been used to define Talarico before Democrats turn him into their next shiny Obama-style media project.
It could have been used to warn Texas voters about Talarico’s anti-gun agenda, far-left ideology, and record from his time in the Texas House.
Instead, Cornyn burned through a fortune attacking another Republican.
Republicans Can Unite After the Runoff
The same TSU poll also shows Republican voters are not nearly as divided as the establishment wants people to believe.
Among Cornyn voters, 90% said they would vote for Paxton if Paxton becomes the nominee. Among Paxton voters, 91% said they would vote for Cornyn if Cornyn becomes the nominee.
It proves the general-election fight is winnable once Republicans stop shooting at each other and start focusing on the real threat: James Talarico and the gun confiscation agenda.
Texas Gun Rights President Chris McNutt said the path forward is clear.
“Once Republican voters choose a nominee, I am confident the grassroots can unite around defeating James Talarico and his radical agenda,” said Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights.
“John Cornyn and his allies have spent over $100 million trying to save Cornyn’s political career and smear Ken Paxton, instead of exposing Talarico’s record. Talarico’s agenda is not a secret. It is on public record from his time in the Texas House. The problem is the money has been spent protecting Cornyn, not warning voters about the radical Democrat waiting in November.”
McNutt continued:
“Gun owners do not need another senator who hides from surveys, expands NICS, and cuts deals with radical Democrats when they feel like the sky is falling. They need a fighter. That is why Texas Gun Rights PAC endorsed Ken Paxton, and that is why President Trump’s endorsement only confirms what grassroots gun owners already knew.”
The Second Amendment does not need more dealmakers.
It needs fighters.
Texas Gun Rights PAC Runoff Slate
Texas Gun Rights PAC is backing the candidates we believe are best positioned to defend gun owners, energize the grassroots, and help make the Second Amendment a defining issue heading into November.
Our pro-gun runoff slate:
- Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate
- Chip Roy for Attorney General
- Bo French for Agriculture Commissioner
- Tom Smith for Court of Criminal Appeals
- Briscoe Cain for Congressional District 9
The gun confiscation lobby is not sitting on the sidelines.
They are preparing to pour money into Texas, prop up James Talarico, and build a national narrative that Texas is finally ready to fall.
But if gun owners show up now, Texas will remain the firewall against the national gun confiscation agenda.
Help Texas Gun Rights expose weak Republicans, defeat the gun confiscation lobby, and make gun rights the defining issue in 2026. Chip in today.
