The Texas Senate race turned into a bloodbath.
Cornyn thought he had this wrapped up.
But Turning Point Action just made one move that has John Cornyn fuming.
Charlie Kirk's legacy delivers blow to RINO establishment
Turning Point Action threw its weight behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the heated Republican Senate primary, dealing a crushing blow to incumbent Senator John Cornyn's campaign.
The endorsement from the political arm of the conservative youth organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk carries massive symbolic weight five months after Kirk's assassination on September 10, 2025.
Paxton announced the endorsement on X with pride in his voice.
"BREAKING: I'm honored to be endorsed by Turning Point Action," Paxton wrote. "The movement that Charlie Kirk built has inspired millions, and I'm proud to be standing alongside Turning Point Action in carrying on the fight to save this country and defend our freedoms."
The endorsement comes at the worst possible time for Cornyn, who spent years trying to shake his RINO reputation and align himself with President Trump.
Kirk built Turning Point USA into the largest conservative youth organization in America before his death, mobilizing millions of young voters who helped deliver Trump's 2024 victory.
Now that same grassroots machine just told Cornyn he's not their guy.
Polls show Paxton crushing Cornyn with conservative voters
The numbers tell the ugly story Cornyn doesn't want to talk about.
A Hobby School poll conducted from January 20 to 31 shows Paxton holding a seven-point lead over Cornyn, with 38 percent of likely Republican primary voters supporting the attorney general.
Cornyn trailed with 31 percent, while Representative Wesley Hunt received 17 percent.
Even more devastating for Cornyn: Paxton has the highest favorability among GOP voters at 72 percent.
Hunt clocked in at 70 percent favorability.
Cornyn registered the lowest favorability rating of the three at just 61 percent.
A separate J.L. Partners poll taken between January 31 and February 2 shows an even tighter race with Paxton narrowly ahead at 27 percent, followed by Hunt at 25.7 percent and Cornyn at 25.5 percent.
Nearly 22 percent of voters remained undecided in that survey.
If no candidate reaches a majority in the March 3 primary, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff on May 26.
Cornyn's backed by GOP establishment figures and has significant financial resources.
But money can't buy what Paxton has: credibility with the conservative base.
Cornyn's RINO voting record comes back to haunt him
Paxton branded Cornyn a RINO for years, and the evidence backs him up.
Trump previously called Cornyn a "hopeless" RINO for backing the gun safety bill that infuriated Second Amendment supporters.
Cornyn tried to distance himself from that vote, but conservatives remember.
He's desperately sought Trump's endorsement, repeatedly asking the President to back him.
Trump told Cornyn he's not ready to grant it.
The President said he has "three friends" in the race and hasn't picked a side.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune admitted his efforts to lobby Trump for a Cornyn endorsement have failed.
"We've tried," Thune told reporters. "And the president obviously is not, at this point at least, willing to make an endorsement there."
Cornyn's campaign fired back by touting his voting record, claiming he "voted with President Trump more than 95% of current Senators."
But Paxton and conservatives know the difference between showing up for easy votes and fighting for the America First agenda when it counts.
Cornyn backed the bipartisan gun bill that Trump opposed.
He's been in Washington for over two decades playing the inside game.
Paxton's been on the front lines as attorney general, suing the Biden administration over border security and fighting woke corporations.
The base knows who's actually fought for them.
Turning Point Action's endorsement shifts primary dynamics
Turning Point Action's backing gives Paxton more than just credibility with young conservatives.
The organization mobilized thousands of students for Trump's 2024 campaign and helped drive the youth vote surge that delivered his victory.
Kirk's death on September 10 galvanized the conservative movement rather than weakening it.
Turning Point USA reported receiving 120,000 inquiries about starting new chapters in the days after the assassination.
His widow Erika Kirk took over as CEO on September 18 and has kept the organization's influence strong.
The group now claims chapters at 3,500 colleges and high schools across all 50 states with 250,000 members.
That's an army of activists who can knock doors, register voters, and turn out the base for Paxton.
Cornyn can't match that grassroots energy with establishment money.
GOP leaders in Washington are panicking that Paxton's primary victory could cost Republicans the seat.
Senior establishment Republicans fear defending a Paxton nomination could drain at least $200 million that could be spent elsewhere.
Cornyn warned CNN that Democrats could flip the seat if Paxton wins the primary.
"I think if Republicans nominate the attorney general, I think they absolutely do," Cornyn said.
That's establishment panic talking.
Paxton's fighting the same swamp creatures who underestimated Trump twice.
Conservative voters in Texas know the difference between a RINO who cuts deals with Democrats and a fighter who takes them to court.
Turning Point Action just made that choice crystal clear.
Sources:
- Jasmyn Jordan, "Turning Point Action Endorses Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Race," Breitbart, February 9, 2026.
- "2026 United States Senate election in Texas," Wikipedia, accessed February 10, 2026.
- "Texas GOP primary: Ken Paxton leads in poll, John Cornyn lags," The Hill, May 12, 2025.
- "President Trump Unlikely to Make Endorsement in Texas Senate Primary Between Ken Paxton and RINO John Cornyn," The Gateway Pundit, January 2026.
- "Ken Paxton wins Turning Point Action endorsement in heated GOP Senate primary in Texas," CNN, February 9, 2026.
- "Who was Charlie Kirk? The activist who turned campus politics into national influence," The Conversation, September 11, 2025.
- "Turning Point USA," Britannica, October 23, 2025.
