Cornyn warns GOP could lose Senate as Texas early voting enters 2nd day

FORT WORTH, Texas - As early voting in Texas enters its second day, veteran Republican Sen. John Cornyn is warning voters that the GOP could lose control of the Senate if they are "not careful."

The leading Senate candidates have exchanged a lot of strong comments about their opponents since early voting started Monday. 

Cornyn speaks on early voting

The latest:

Cornyn took several digs at his opponent at a campaign event in Fort Worth on Tuesday.

The senator said he is happy Ken Paxton has "come out of his basement" and is answering questions from reporters. Cornyn is trailing Paxton in the latest polls. 

Flanked by the head of CLEAT, the Fort Worth and Dallas Police Officers associations, Cornyn said he is backed by more law enforcement than Paxton. 

Monday night, Paxton said Cornyn has only focused on his personal life and claims he doesn't have a good record to stand on. 

Cornyn thinks this race will come down to trust and made the allegation that Paxton's family doesn't trust him, so voters should not either. 

Primary predictions

What they're saying:

Despite outspending Paxton in the race, Cornyn is trailing in the polls. Regardless, he told FOX 4 he's still in the battle.

"The election is still in front of us. The campaign continues," Cornyn said. "This is the first time the attorney general has come out of his basement to confront the public."

Cornyn has been in public office for four decades, spending 24 of those years in the Senate. Despite the long tenure, he says he still has a lot to offer. 

"I think I am a lot more effective than I was when I first started. Thank God I am healthy," the senator said. "I love my job, I love this great state, and I am not willing to stand on the sideline and see it destroyed by nominating a flawed candidate like Ken Paxton."

Paxton dismisses claims

The other side:

At his own campaign event on Monday, Paxton told FOX 4 he's not concerned about recent numbers that predict he'd fare worse in the general election than Cornyn.

"Legitimate polling, I’ve done as well or better than him," the attorney general said. "I’m not saying it’s a huge difference, but the polling I’ve seen, I have done a point better, two points better. I’m not worried about that. They can say what they want — prove it."

Potential for runoff

What's next:

Recent polling shows a likelihood of the primary heading to a runoff election, with none of the three Republican candidates holding a majority of likely votes.

The third candidate in this race, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston) thinks he can make it to the May runoff. Cornyn dismissed the thought of that, saying Hunt won't make it past March 3. 

The latest polling in this race shows 12 percent of Republican primary voters are still undecided. 

President Donald Trump has declined to endorse a candidate, saying he supports them all, and "we'll see what happens."