By Chris McNutt

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is eyeing a potential Republican primary challenge against incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn in 2026, saying he believes he could defeat Cornyn if he had at least $20 million for his campaign.

With Cornyn’s declining reputation among gun owners and his recent defeat in the race for Senate Majority Leader, his days in office may be numbered…

Cornyn’s Fundraising Prowess vs. Gun Owners’ Revolt

Cornyn, who has spent decades in Washington, remains a fundraising powerhouse and will undoubtedly have establishment backing. But money may not be enough to save him… His failed bid for Senate Majority Leader was a humiliating defeat, fueled by his long history of betraying gun owners.

Despite his recent pushback against ATF executive actions, many gun owners remember how Cornyn empowered the ATF in the first place through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) — a bill that gave the agency new authority to crack down on gun sellers and pave the way for backdoor universal background checks.

In another hollow effort to win back gun owners, Cornyn is leading the charge for national concealed carry reciprocity — a bill that still requires Americans to obtain government permission to exercise their rights.

But gun owners aren’t looking for half-measures. They want constitutional carry at the national level, and Cornyn has yet to offer a Senate companion to Rep. Thomas Massie’s National Constitutional Carry bill.

For many in the pro-gun movement, it may be too little, too late.

The NRA’s Waning Influence and the Rise of No-Compromise Gun Groups

For years, Cornyn relied on support from the National Rifle Association (NRA) to maintain his “pro-gun” credentials: the NRA maintained Cornyn’s “A+” rating and endorsed him for re-election in 2022.

But the NRA’s influence has since plummeted as gun owners have abandoned the organization in favor of no-compromise groups like Texas Gun Rights (TXGR) and the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) — groups that have consistently opposed Cornyn’s compromises on the Second Amendment.

Unlike the NRA, both TXGR and NAGR do not cut backroom deals on gun control and lead the charge against Cornyn’s BSCA betrayal.

In recent years, TXGR, the state affiliate of NAGR, has even surpassed the Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA) as the largest gun rights organization in Texas. The TSRA is the NRA’s state affiliate in Texas.

Paxton: The Pro-Gun Firebrand

If Ken Paxton enters the Senate race, he will likely be welcomed with open arms by gun owners across Texas.

As Attorney General, Paxton has been the most actively pro-gun AG in the country, repeatedly taking the Biden Administration and the ATF to court over unconstitutional gun regulations.

He sued the ATF over their attempt to redefine who qualifies as a firearms dealer, securing a temporary block on Biden’s latest gun control scheme.

Paxton has also defended Texas’ “made in Texas” suppressor law in court — and has refused to enforce federal gun restrictions that violate the Second Amendment.

And last fall, Paxton took action against the State Fair of Texas for banning lawful carry on publicly owned property, a case that Texas Gun Rights directly influenced with a legal brief filed at the AG’s request.

For Texas gun owners, Paxton represents the bold, unflinching leadership they demand in Washington. With Cornyn scrambling to rewrite his anti-gun legacy, it may be too late for him to win back the grassroots movement he abandoned.

The 2026 Republican primary for U.S. Senate is shaping up to be a battle for the soul of the Second Amendment in Texas — and gun owners may finally have their chance to send Cornyn packing.