Religion / Church-State
John Cornyn (R)
Cornyn was one of 12 Senate Republicans who voted for the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, providing federal recognition for both same-sex and interracial marriages while building in religious-liberty protections for nonprofits and houses of worship — a vote Paxton has attacked repeatedly in this primary. He has consistently voted for religious-liberty protections including the Equal Access Act and supports Title VII religious-employer accommodations. He has not co-sponsored federal Ten Commandments classroom mandates or chaplaincy laws, treating those as state-level questions where federal preemption is unwarranted. He attends Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas and frames his faith in personal rather than majoritarian terms. He has been measured in the Paxton-led litigation against Muslim and Catholic institutions, declining to endorse the investigative posture against CAIR, East Plano Islamic Center, or Annunciation House.
Ken Paxton (R)
Paxton publicly said 'In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up' after Texas SB 10 mandated such displays in 2025. When a federal judge enjoined the law in nine districts, Paxton said the rest of Texas 'must abide' by it. He has launched multiple investigations and lawsuits against Muslim organizations including CAIR, the East Plano Islamic Center, and Catholic migrant shelter Annunciation House. He issued the AG opinion declaring Blaine Amendments excluding religious schools from voucher funds unconstitutional under the Free Exercise Clause. He attends Stonebriar Community Church and frames his agenda in explicitly Christian terms.
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)
- Texas Attorney General, 'Paxton Says School Choice Legal in Texas,' March 2023. (full list)
- 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)
- Texas Attorney General actions against CAIR, East Plano Islamic Center, and Catholic Annunciation House; ABC News and Tribune coverage, 2024-2026. (full list)