The Scoop
A new survey shared with Semafor shows Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, may still have work to do in his primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas.
In a three-way matchup, Paxton gets 32% of the vote while Hunt and Cornyn each pick up 22%, with 24% undecided, according to new polling from Public Policy Polling commissioned by the Democratic Senate Majority PAC. Both Paxton and Hunt lead Cornyn in head-to-head matchups too, though with roughly a quarter of voters unsure.
Cornyn has led several recent polls; his campaign adviser Matt Mackowiak said the incumbent senator will win and that “Democrats are desperate to run against fatally flawed homewrecker Ken Paxton and cost the GOP a critically valuable Senate seat and as much as $200M in the general election.”
Lauren French, a Senate Majority PAC spokeswoman, called that response “weak, half-hearted spin.”
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The GOP primary in Texas is critical for Senate Republicans looking to hold onto the majority. Cornyn is widely seen as a more electable general electable candidate than Paxton, so GOP leaders are invested in Cornyn’s success. President Donald Trump remains neutral and could swing the race if he jumps in; GOP leaders are eager for him to back Cornyn.
The PPP poll showed pluralities don’t see Cornyn as voting with Trump enough and that his favorability is underwater with GOP voters 29-44, though with a meaningful number of voters expressing uncertainty in response to the question. Paxton’s favorability is 48-35 in the poll, while Hunt’s is 34-14, with a majority of respondents saying they are unsure of the congressman’s standing.
The race has tightened substantially since Hunt’s entry; Paxton narrowly leads Cornyn in polling averages.