A super PAC backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2026 primary challenge against Sen. John Cornyn is spotlighting Paxton’s role in the state’s high-stakes redistricting battle. Lone Star Liberty PAC’s new digital ad features cable news clips showing Paxton pursuing Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas to block GOP-drafted congressional maps that would add five right-leaning districts. The ad also shows Paxton with former President Donald Trump, who remains neutral in the GOP primary.
The fight is part of a broader Republican push—encouraged by Trump—to secure the party’s narrow House majority in the 2026 midterms. Cornyn has touted his letter urging the FBI to help track the absent Democrats, while Paxton is investigating PACs linked to Beto O’Rourke for allegedly aiding them. A judge recently granted Paxton a restraining order preventing such funding.
O’Rourke, considering a 2026 Senate run, has blasted Paxton, calling him corrupt. Other Democrats, including state Sen. James Talarico and candidate Colin Allred, have voiced support for the lawmakers’ flight, making Texas a focal point in what could be one of the most combative Senate races next year.
