Who does Trump support in Texas’ U.S. Senate race?

Former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the intriguing 2026 U.S. Senate race in Texas between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn. Paxton, the state’s attorney general, declared his candidacy against the incumbent Republican senator on April 8.

Paxton, a close ally of Trump, told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on her show that it “was time for a change in Texas.” He then called out Cornyn’s “lack of production” over the past 22 years in the Senate.

“We have another great U.S. senator, Ted Cruz, and it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way,” Paxton said. “And that’s what I plan on doing.”

Cornyn’s campaign team slammed Paxton in a statement posted on X, bringing up Paxton’s 2023 impeachment by the Texas House on corruption charges before he was acquitted by the state Senate. “Ken Paxton is a fraud,” the post reads. “He talks tough on crime and then lets crooked progressive Lina Hidalgo off the hook. He says his impeachment trial was a sham but he didn’t contest the facts in legal filings, which will cost the state millions.”

On Saturday, April 12, Trump said he was weighing his options when asked by a reporter about his thoughts on the race, according to CBS.

“Well, they’re both friends of mine,” Trump said. “They’re both good men and I don’t know. We don’t, we don’t know who else is running, but these two, you know, Ken and John, they’re both friends of mine, so I’ll make a determination at the right time.”

On the Democratic side, the Dallas Morning News reported Colin Allred, a former member of Congress and professional football player who was defeated by Cruz last year, is “seriously considering” a run.