Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's decision to run for the U.S. Senate continues one of the most consistent streaks in Texas politics. Every Texas attorney general since 1972 has used the position as a springboard to higher office by either running for governor or the United States Senate.

A supercharged U.S. Senate GOP primary in Texas between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton is kicking off with personal attacks and expectations of a high-spending race in a year when Senate Republicans will be defending key seats and targeting others in 2026.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is staying neutral in a bitter primary for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) Senate seat, a race that has already begun to splinter Texas’s congressional delegation. In a striking departure from Senate tradition,