“Firebrand Texas Republican Ken Paxton’s long record of political resilience in the face of scandal faces a new test after his wife filed for divorce and accused him of adultery, jolting a contentious primary for U.S. Senate,” the Washington Post reports.

“The race, seen as one of the biggest GOP primaries of the midterms, was already dramatic, with a longtime incumbent, John Cornyn, fighting for his political life against Paxton, the state attorney general styling himself as more loyal to President Donald Trump. Now, Cornyn and his allies are bringing up the filing as they run against Paxton, and some Paxton backers are rethinking their support.”

With surveys showing Ken Paxton (R) as the Republican frontrunner for U.S. Senate in Texas, the Cook Political Report shifts its rating for the seat from Solid to Likely Republican.

“Were Paxton to win the primary, we would consider shifting our rating further in Democrats’ direction.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who faces a tough GOP primary challenger in Ken Paxton (R), is pleading directly with President Trump for his endorsement, but the president has so far demurred, NBC News reports.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) raised just $803,952 for his re-election committee and has $5.9 million on hand.

Meanwhile, GOP primary challenger Ken Paxton (R) brought in $2.9 million and has $2.5 million on hand.

“The Texas Senate race is turning into the wildest mess of the midterms — and it’s just getting messier,” NOTUS reports.

“The battle between Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the GOP Senate nomination just continues to get bloodier. Cornyn trails in the primary polls, but is broadly seen as the best Republican to defeat the eventual Democratic nominee.”

“Meanwhile, Paxton’s election vulnerabilities were on full display last week when his wife filed for divorce “on biblical grounds,” a seeming reference to the affair rumors that have swirled around the scandal-plagued Paxton for years.”

“President Donald Trump huddled Wednesday evening in the Oval Office with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and top Senate GOP campaign officials about the 2026 midterm elections,” Punchbowl News reports.

“During the meeting, Trump administration officials made clear to Thune and the Senate Leadership Fund that they were going to let the race between Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton play out a bit before deciding whether and how to engage in the contest. The White House wants to see whether the polling gap between Cornyn and Paxton will close. The primary is scheduled for March.”

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton (R) has filed for divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), KUT News reports.

“Ken Paxton is running for U.S. Senate against John Cornyn. The attorney general has long been dogged with allegations of infidelity, including during impeachment proceedings in 2023 that ended in his acquittal. He was accused of securing a job for the woman with whom he was having an alleged affair.”

Politico: “It’s getting late early for John Cornyn. Yet another poll shows the four-term incumbent lagging well behind his hard-right challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in next year’s primary.”

“The poll, conducted on behalf of a Paxton-allied super PAC, shows the Texas attorney general with a commanding 19-point lead over the incumbent — 57% to 38% — in a head-to-head matchup of Texas Republican primary voters.”

“Terry Virts, a retired NASA astronaut, is not a household name, even in his home of Houston. But the way he announced his campaign on Monday for Senator John Cornyn’s seat in Texas, taking a swing at both political parties, may be blazing a trail for Democratic candidates in 2026,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Virts’ official announcement video was revealing in two ways. It reflected the growing hunger among Democratic outsiders to take on President Trump. And it underscored how such outsiders believe the best way to do that is to also take on the Democratic leaders in Washington.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) trails Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) by 22 points, according to a new independent poll of the Senate GOP primary, 50% to 28%.

Punchbowl News: “When asked in a recent TV interview why he was trailing Paxton in early polls, Cornyn attributed it to “primarily name identification.” But only 7% of voters hadn’t heard of Cornyn, per Blizzard’s poll, while 5% had not heard of Paxton.”

“Sen. John Cornyn has enlisted Chris LaCivita, a top political adviser to President Trump, to help him beat back a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton,” Axios reports.

“LaCivita’s involvement doesn’t guarantee an endorsement from Trump in what is expected to be the GOP’s most expensive Senate primary. But it does show how Cornyn, long regarded as more country club than MAGA, is moving to align himself with the president.”

“With the GOP’s Texas Senate primary already getting nasty, many Republicans are nervous that Sen. John Cornyn can only beat Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton if President Donald Trump intervenes — and sources said that seems unlikely at the moment,” NOTUS reports.

“Several polls show Cornyn trailing. But the severity of the situation became clear last week when Cornyn touted a poll on X showing him down 16 points, reasoning that Paxton’s lead is ‘shrinking already.'”

Said Cornyn: “He must be getting nervous.”

“Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is boasting a 99% voting record with President Trump in a new memo,” Axios reports.

“The four-term senator and his firebrand primary challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, are battling to win Trump’s coveted endorsement in what is quickly shaping up to be the most dramatic and expensive GOP primary of the cycle.”

“Beto O’Rourke may be hitting the campaign trail in Texas again, signaling that if Texans want him to run for U.S. Senate in 2026, he ‘will’ take up the challenge that left him defeated in 2018,” the Houston Chronicle reports.

Said O’Rourke: “I’m going to do whatever is most helpful for the people of Texas… I’m going to do whatever is the greatest good for the greatest number in this state…Whatever I can do, wherever I’m helpful, that’s where I’m going to be.”

“Get ready for a blockbuster primary between Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2026,” Punchbowl News reports.

During a wide-ranging interview, Paxton “gave the clearest signs yet that he’s planning to challenge Cornyn in what could be one of the most expensive Senate primaries in history.”

Said Paxton: “I think I can win if I have $20 million. I’ve run these primaries in Texas before. I honestly don’t see how he overcomes his numbers.”

A new UT Tyler Poll finds Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) clinging to a two-point lead over challenger Colin Allred (D), 47% to 45%.

A new New York Times/Siena poll in Texas finds Sen. Ted Cruz (R) ahead of challenger Colin Allred (D), 50% to 46%.

A new internal poll for Allred shows the race tied, 46% to 46%.