U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, left; U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, middle; and Texas AG Ken Paxton, right. All three are vying for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.
As the March 3 primary race for a Texas seat in the U.S. Senate approaches, FOX Local has put together a breakdown of each Republican candidate hoping to take on a Democratic challenger in November.
Texas Primary
In short:
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faces current Texas AG Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston). As no polls show a majority of voters in favor of a single candidate, their primary will likely lead to a runoff.
Trump has yet to endorse a candidate, leaving a key component of the Republican vote off the table for now.
Sen. John Cornyn
Cornyn, of Houston, has held the seat since 2002, during which he chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee for a four-year span, served as the Republican Minority Whip, and — according to his campaign — voted alongside Trump 99 percent of the time.
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The senator lists his views on the key voting issues on his website, and they all fall well within classic conservative bounds. Most notably, he claims to be in favor of replacing Obamacare for better affordability, taking action to secure the border, and encouraging job growth to strengthen the economy.
Cornyn's campaign to date has largely focused on aligning himself with the president and discrediting Paxton, his largest GOP competitor.
UNITED STATES - JULY 15: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, leaves the Senate Republicans' lunch in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
AG Ken Paxton
Paxton, of McKinney, appears to be the favorite of the MAGA crowd, and has served as the attorney general for Texas since 2015. The most recent polling shows Republicans favoring Paxton against Cornyn. During his tenure as AG, Paxton has faced a high volume of scandals, most recently involving his divorce from State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney).
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The AG lists his key issues on his campaign site, using language that appeals to a modern conservative agenda. He promises to fight the "radical left," "take a sledgehammer to the DC establishment," and finish the wall at the southern border to "protect national sovereignty."
Paxton's campaign has similarly taken a Trump-friendly stance and steered towards slamming Cornyn.
(Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images)
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt
Hunt, of Houston, has represented the 38th congressional district since 2023, and has been in the Senate race since October 2025. Polling shows him bringing up the rear among the Republican hopefuls, with critics worrying he could hurt the GOP's overall chances of holding onto the seat against a strong Democratic candidate in the general election.
Houston Rep. Wesley Hunt joins Paxton, Cornyn in GOP race for Senate
The two-term state representative is giving up his safe seat to launch a federal run that he says will be about "faith."
The Army combat veteran, who also proudly touts his political relationship with Trump on his campaign site, says he was the first in the nation to endorse the president for his second term. He lists his key issues as reducing the national debt, defending the Second Amendment, supporting law enforcement and numerous other conservative values.
Hunt's campaign has leaned further into Trump alignment and less into discrediting his opponents.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt
The Source: Information in this article comes from campaign websites and previous FOX Local reporting.