The Economy
John Cornyn (R)
Cornyn has been a consistently free-trade Republican: voted for USMCA in 2020, opposed (in measured language) the broadest Trump agricultural tariffs, and helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act with bipartisan majorities. He supports energy dominance including LNG export expansion, pipeline-permitting reform, and the Texas crypto framework including the CLARITY Act. He opposes the IRA's most aggressive renewable-energy subsidies but supports tax credits for carbon capture and methane reduction. He has not endorsed Trump's 50-year mortgage proposal and has publicly worried about ballooning deficits from extending tax cuts without offsets. His free-trade posture is the cleanest substantive economic break from Paxton in this primary.
Ken Paxton (R)
Paxton promises to 'revitalize American manufacturing, create American jobs, and restore the American Dream' alongside Trump's economic agenda. He supports energy dominance, deregulation, and crypto innovation including passage of the CLARITY Act. As AG he sued BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard, accusing them of trying to 'artificially manipulate the coal market' through ESG-aligned divestment. He praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and supported ending renewable-energy tax credits. He has not publicly addressed Trump's USMCA withdrawal consideration or 50-year mortgage proposal.
Sources
- Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, official campaign issues page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
- Sen. John Cornyn, official Senate website and 2026 re-election campaign issues page, accessed May 2026 (cornyn.senate.gov; johncornyn.com). (full list)
- Gabby Birenbaum, 'On the issues: A Q&A with Ken Paxton and John Cornyn,' Texas Tribune, April 20, 2026. (full list)
- Truth Social statement endorsing Paxton over Cornyn, May 19, 2026 (covered by CNBC, NBC News, Breitbart). (full list)
- Cornyn votes on USMCA (January 2020); Senate Finance Committee record on free-trade agreements; Cornyn statements on Trump-era tariffs (2018-2026) including measured opposition to broad agricultural tariffs harming Texas exporters. (full list)