Politics
A Senate Blockbuster Looms in Texas, as Paxton Prepares to Challenge Cornyn
Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas, is getting ready to challenge Senator John Cornyn in what could be the nastiest and most expensive Republican Party showdown of the 2026 election.
In an interview on Tuesday in Dallas, Mr. Paxton tiptoed close to declaring himself a candidate, offering up the kind of legislation he would first propose if elected to the Senate — tax cuts — and describing why he felt he could do more in Washington, D.C., than in Texas.
“I just think there’s a lot of things that you could do at the federal level,” Mr. Paxton said. “Trump can use the help and have a senator that actually is supportive and not critical.”
Asked how he made his decision to run, Mr. Paxton began answering the question. Then he was reminded by a campaign consultant that he had not yet officially decided to run.
“Right,” Mr. Paxton said.
The likelihood of a primary between Mr. Paxton and Mr. Cornyn has been growing in recent months. It would be perhaps the biggest electoral face-off yet in the ongoing war between the Texas Republican Party’s old guard and an ascendant wing of hard-right social conservatives aligned with Mr. Paxton and President Trump.
The looming clash has been among the worst kept secrets in Texas politics.
“Good luck with your primary, John,” posted Colin Allred, a former Democratic representative in Dallas who unsuccessfully challenged Senator Ted Cruz last year and has said he is considering entering the 2026 Senate race.
Mr. Paxton, now in his third term, has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of Mr. Cornyn, mocking him on social media and during a recent interview with Tucker Carlson.
The attorney general and legal firebrand has been buoyed in his thinking about a Senate run by internal Republican polling that shows him with a considerable advantage among the party’s primary voters.
A poll by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, a firm used by the Trump campaign, found Mr. Paxton leading by a margin of more than 20 percentage points over Mr. Cornyn, and it grew with messages painting Mr. Cornyn as the more moderate candidate.
The poll, conducted about two months ago by allies of Mr. Paxton, showed him also winning against a Democrat in the general election, but by a smaller margin.
The internal polling results aligned with a nonpartisan poll from the University of Houston in February showing that more Republicans would “definitely consider” voting for Mr. Paxton than for Mr. Cornyn, and that Mr. Paxton was viewed more favorably than Mr. Cornyn among Republican voters. But Mr. Cornyn edged ahead of Mr. Paxton among voters who said they would “definitely consider” and “might consider” the incumbent senator.
Mr. Cornyn’s campaign did not make him available for an interview.
Mr. Cornyn, 73, has been in state politics for more than three decades. A former Texas attorney general and State Supreme Court judge, he was first elected to the Senate in 2002. Over that time, Texas has turned solidly Republican and the party’s primaries have grown increasingly important, with the winner going on to victory in the general election in every statewide contest going back to the 1990s.
With an affable old guard presence out of an era of business-oriented conservatism in Texas, Mr. Cornyn was seen as someone possibly destined to be Senate majority leader. But after the retirement of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky from that post, Mr. Cornyn lost out to Senator John Thune of South Dakota last year. Mr. Cornyn is no longer in the Republican leadership.
And his willingness to occasionally work across the aisle, including on a package of gun control legislation passed in the wake of the state’s worst school shooting in Uvalde in 2022, enraged many conservatives.
His approval ratings among conservatives dropped sharply at the time. He was booed loudly during an appearance at the activist-heavy Republican Party of Texas convention that year.
Mr. Paxton, 62, recalled being at the convention — he was waiting to speak — and watching Mr. Cornyn deliver his speech amid the booing.
“It clicked for me,” the attorney general said. “I knew he lost touch with the voters.”
Mr. Cornyn officially announced his re-election campaign late last month with a video that leaned heavily on his actions on behalf of Mr. Trump.
“In President Trump’s first term, I was Republican whip, delivering the votes for his biggest wins,” Mr. Cornyn said in the video. “Now I’m running for re-election and asking for your support, so President Trump and I can pick up where we left off.”
The senator recently posted a photograph of himself reading “The Art of the Deal,” Mr. Trump’s book. “Recommended,” the post said.
Mr. Paxton, for his part, has frequently used his office to support Mr. Trump, supporting the president’s immigration enforcement efforts and, in 2020, suing to challenge the results of the election in four swing states. The Supreme Court threw out the case.
Asked how, as a potential senator, he might handle an effort by Mr. Trump to remain in office after his second term, Mr. Paxton said he was not sure.
“My understanding is that there’s constitutionally two terms, but I am no expert on that,” he said. “It may or may not come up. But he’s got to decide he’s going to do a third term. And then we would deal with the issue.”
An endorsement by the president would be a pivotal moment in the as-yet-undeclared race.
Mr. Paxton, in his interview with The Times at a Dallas social club, said he had already been talking with people in the president’s orbit about it.
“I haven’t directly talked to him,” he said. “I’ve talked to people around him. They’re very aware of this ongoing possibility.”
He added that he had heard “nothing negative, that’s for sure.”
Indeed, things have been looking up for Mr. Paxton lately.
For years, he had been battling overlapping corruption investigations into his actions as attorney general and a separate state indictment for securities fraud. But he emerged victorious, surviving an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate in 2023 and reaching a settlement last year in his criminal indictment, which involved paying restitution but not admitting to any wrongdoing.
“This is not the way it should be done in our country,” Mr. Paxton said. “If you’re elected, I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, the most liberal Democrat, that shouldn’t happen to you any more than it should happen to me.”
Mr. Paxton said his decision to officially declare his challenge rested on whether he believed he would have enough money to take on an incumbent senator. About $20 million should do it, he said.
Respondents in the internal Fabrizio poll, obtained by The New York Times, were not unaware of the legal and ethical questions that have followed Mr. Paxton for much of his career.
When respondents were asked about the issues and actions they most associated with Mr. Paxton, the top responses included “border security” as well as “corrupt/fraud/crook/liar.”
For Mr. Cornyn, the top term associated with him underscored his challenges with an increasingly conservative Texas Republican primary electorate: “RINO” — meaning, Republican in name only.
new video loaded: The G.O.P. Rush To Break Up Majority-Black Districts
By Nick Corasaniti, Laura Bult, June Kim, Edward Vega and Leanne Abraham
May 9, 2026
Politics
Harris accuses Trump allies of trying to ‘rig’ 2026 midterms after Virginia court tosses redistricting measure
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of trying to “rig the 2026 elections” after the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated a voter-approved redistricting referendum, a ruling she said would “give a boost” to that effort.
“Today, the Virginia Supreme Court ignored the will of the people and overturned those democratically chosen maps,” Harris wrote on X on May 8.
“This ruling gives a boost to Donald Trump’s effort to rig the 2026 elections and the Republicans’ long game to attack voting rights,” she added.
The ruling marked a significant victory for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms and escalated an already intensifying national battle over redistricting and control of Congress.
VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT RULES ON NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat at MEET Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 7, 2026. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
“We hold that the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia,” the state’s high court said in its decision. “This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.”
The measure, which passed by a narrow 51% to 49% margin, would have temporarily shifted redistricting authority from Virginia’s nonpartisan commission to the Democrat-controlled legislature through 2030 and was expected to yield a 10-1 Democratic advantage in the state’s congressional delegation.
Trump praised the decision in a post on Truth Social, calling it a “Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia.”
‘JUSTICE’: CELEBRATION, MOCKERY ERUPT AFTER SPANBERGER ‘GERRYMANDER’ IS BLOWN UP IN BLOCKBUSTER DECISION
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat at MEET Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 7, 2026. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
“The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander,” he wrote.
Democrats sharply criticized the ruling. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said “a group of unelected judges on the Virginia Supreme Court chose to put partisan politics over the will of the people.”
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones also pushed back, saying the decision “silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots” and that his office is evaluating “every legal pathway forward.”
ERIC HOLDER ACCUSES GOP OF ‘STEALING SEATS’ WHILE DEFENDING ‘FAIR’ DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING PUSH
A person votes in the Virginia redistricting referendum at Fairfax Government Center in Fairfax, Va., on April 21, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
Harris echoed that sentiment in her post, writing, “We are rightfully outraged, but we will not give up. We must continue our fight to restore the power of the people.”
Her comments come as she has stepped up attacks on Trump in recent appearances while facing renewed questions about her political future.
At a recent event in Las Vegas, Harris said, “For far too many people in our country, the American dream, is not real. And in fact, for many people in their lived experience, it’s what they would consider an American myth.”
KAMALA HARRIS’ TRAVELS AND COMMENTS CLEARLY POINT TO 2028
The approved referendum could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge, if the court’s do not ultimately strike it down. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
She also declined to downplay Trump, saying, “I’m not going to dismiss him as being an idiot. He’s dangerous.”
At the same time, top Democrats have been reluctant to weigh in on whether Harris should lead the party in 2028.
“I have no idea,” Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told Fox News Digital when asked about her future.
“I have no idea who’s running, and we’ll focus on 2028 after 2026,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said.
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., said the decision ultimately rests with Harris but added he believes Democrats should have “a wide-open Democratic primary.”
The Virginia ruling is the latest flashpoint in a broader redistricting fight as both parties position themselves ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Harris, for her part, signaled she intends to remain engaged.
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“I firmly and strongly believe that when you feel powerless, you are powerless,” Harris said. “And when you feel powerful, you are powerful. And we are powerful and we are powerful. And so let’s just show ourselves, each other, our power around the midterms and every day.”
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Leo Briceno, Olivia Palombo, and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this reporting.
The last time the Supreme Court threatened to end access to the country’s most popular abortion method, California’s network of online providers and their pharmaceutical suppliers scrambled to respond.
Now, with the fate of the cocktail used in roughly two-thirds of U.S. terminations once again in the balance, they’re not even breaking a sweat.
Dr. Michele Gomez, co-founder of the MYA Network, a consortium of virtual reproductive healthcare providers, said the supply chain is “ready to switch in a day” to an alternative drug combination.
“It’s not going away and it’s not going to slow down,” Gomez said.
On May 1, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to block the drug mifepristone from being prescribed virtually and shipped through the mail, making such deliveries illegal across the country. On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed that decision, allowing prescriptions to resume until the court issues an emergency ruling next week.
Mifepristone is the first half of a two-drug protocol for medication abortion, which made up 63% of all legal abortions in the U.S. in 2023.
Between a quarter and a third of those abortion drugs are now prescribed by healthcare providers over the internet and delivered by mail — a path Louisiana and other ban states are fighting to bar.
“Abortion access has gone up with all the telehealth providers,” Gomez said. “We uncovered an unmet need.”
But the cocktail’s second ingredient, misoprostol, can be used to produce abortion on its own — a method that’s often more painful and slightly less effective.
It would be easy for suppliers to switch to a misoprostol-only protocol — and much harder for courts to block it, experts said.
“We heard about this on Friday and organizations that mail pills were mailing misoprostol on Saturday,” Gomez said. “They already knew what to do.”
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022, California became one of the first states to enshrine abortion rights for residents in its Constitution and legislate protection for clinicians who prescribe abortion pills to women in states with bans.
Last fall, legislators in Sacramento expanded those protections by allowing pills to be mailed without either the doctor or the patient’s name attached.
But cases like the one being decided next week could still sharply limit abortion rights even in states with extensive legal protections, experts warned.
“Even though California has built a fortress around its own constitutional protections of reproductive freedom, those [protections] become vulnerable to the whims of antiabortion states if the Supreme Court gives those states their imprimatur,” said Michele Goodwin, professor at Georgetown Law and an expert on reproductive justice.
Coral Alonso sings in Spanish as protesters rally on the three-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade on June 24, 2025, in Los Angeles. The ruling ended the federal right to legal abortion in the United States.
(David McNew / Getty Images)
Legal experts are split over how the justices will decide the medication’s mail-order fate.
“This is a case where law clearly won’t matter,” said Eric J. Segall, a law professor at Georgia State University and an expert on the Supreme Court.
“In a very important midterm election year, I think there’s at least two Republicans on the court who will decide that upholding the 5th Circuit would really hurt the Republicans at the polls,” he said. “If women can’t get this by mail in California or other blue states where abortion is legal, it’s going to have devastating consequences, and I think the court knows that.”
But he and others believe it’s no longer a matter of if — but when and how — the drugs are restricted, including in California.
“This is curating a backdrop for a legal showdown that may surely come,” Goodwin said.
The court’s most conservative justices could find grounds to act in the long-forgotten Comstock Act of 1873. The brainchild of America’s zealously anti-porn postmaster Anthony Comstock, the law not only banned the mailing of the “Birth of Venus” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” but also condoms, diaphragms and any drug, tool or text that could be used to produce an abortion.
Though it hasn’t been enforced since the 1970s, the antiabortion provision of the law remains on the books, experts said.
“The next move is with the Comstock Act, which Justices Alito and Thomas have already been hinting at,” Goodwin said. “In that case, it’s like playing Monopoly — we could skip mifepristone and go straight to contraception. The goal is to make sure none of that gets to be in the mail.”
That move would upend how Americans get both abortions and birth control, and put an unassuming L.A. County pharmacy squarely in the government’s crosshairs.
Although doctors in nearly two dozen states can safely prescribe medication abortion to women anywhere in the U.S., only a handful of specialty pharmacies actually fill those mail orders, Gomez explained. Among the largest is Honeybee in Culver City, which did not reply to requests for comment.
Even if the justices don’t reach for Comstock, a decision in Louisiana’s favor next week could create a two-tiered system of abortion across California and other blue states, experts said.
“The people this case hurts the most are the poor and the rural,” said Segall, the Supreme Court expert.
National data show that abortion patients are disproportionately poor. Most are also already mothers. Losing mail access to mifepristone would leave many with the more painful, less effective option while those with the time and means to reach a clinic continue to get the gold standard of care.
“There are fundamental questions of citizenship at the heart of this,” said Goodwin, the constitutional scholar. “Under the 14th Amendment, women are supposed to have equality, citizenship, liberty. It’s as though the Supreme Court has taken a black marker and pressed it against all of those words.”
For Gomez and other providers, that’s tomorrow’s problem.
“The lawyers and the politicians are just going to do their thing,” the doctor said. “The healthcare providers are just trying to get medications to people who need them.”
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