Cornyn will seek reelection to Senate in 2026, ‘God willing’

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Friday that he plans to run for reelection in 2026 no matter the result of his run to become Republican Senate leader later this year.

Cornyn, who is in the midst of his fourth term, told The Dallas Morning News of his plans. 

“Yes. … I mean, God willing,” he told the paper. “Inshallah.”

Cornyn’s plans come despite a potential challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). The two have found themselves embroiled in a public spat after Cornyn announced his bid to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) atop the conference. 

Paxton posted on social media that “Republicans deserve better in their next leader and Texans deserve another conservative senator,” adding that the longtime senator wouldn’t be an “effective leader since he is anti-Trump, anti-gun, and will be focused on his highly competitive primary campaign in 2026.”

Cornyn responded by telling Paxton it would be “hard to run from prison.” The Texas AG has been under investigation for a number of reasons throughout the past decade, including over securities fraud.

The sitting senator indicated he is not too concerned about a challenge by Paxton. 

“I don’t stay awake at night worrying about it,” he told the Morning News. 

In his last reelection fight, Cornyn defeated Democrat M.J. Hegar by nearly 10 percentage points and garnered nearly 6 million votes — the most ever received by a nonjudicial statewide candidate in the Lone Star State. 

Cornyn has long been a top ally of McConnell, having served as the No. 2 in GOP leadership from 2013-19 before being term-limited.