How They DifferCornyn · Paxton 2026
A no bullshit non-partisan comparison of political candidates
Aggregate score
Cornyn 5.1Paxton 2.7 C +2.4
Issues

LGBTQ / Social Issues

John Cornyn (R)

Cornyn voted for the Respect for Marriage Act (2022), one of 12 Senate Republicans to do so, providing federal recognition for both same-sex and interracial marriages — a vote Paxton has attacked him over repeatedly in the primary. He has otherwise voted for the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and against the Equality Act, and maintains an NRLC 100% pro-life rating across decades of voting. He has not co-sponsored federal 'Don't Say Gay,' transgender-sports, or gender-affirming-care-prohibition legislation and has been measured on the Texas Children's Hospital gender-affirming care debate. His record reads as standard institutional Republican social conservatism with a specific carve-out for civil-marriage recognition — the single doctrinal issue separating him from Paxton on cultural conservatism.

Ken Paxton (R)

Paxton wants to 'defeat the radical transgender movement that's desperate to put men in girls' sports and woke indoctrination in our classrooms.' He led the investigation and lawsuit against Texas Children's Hospital over gender-affirming care, resulting in a May 2026 settlement with the Trump administration. He called Talarico 'completely and totally morally bankrupt' for the Democrat's positions on gender and abortion. His campaign frames LGBTQ-rights advances as part of a broader 'radical left' agenda. He has not staked out a position on Trump's IVF accessibility plan despite the fetal-personhood implications.

Sources

  1. Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, official campaign issues page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
  2. Sen. John Cornyn, official Senate website and 2026 re-election campaign issues page, accessed May 2026 (cornyn.senate.gov; johncornyn.com). (full list)
  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Ken Paxton,' updated May 2026 (impeachment, securities settlement, AG litigation history). (full list)
  4. National Right to Life Committee Cornyn voting record (100% NRLC lifetime); Susan B. Anthony List endorsement record; co-sponsor of Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act; Respect for Marriage Act vote (Dec. 2022) — one of 12 Senate Republicans to support. (full list)