CPAC Gives Bitter Texas GOP Rivals Chance To Woo Conservative Base, But Only One Takes It

Both longtime Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn and his GOP primary opponent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have been invited to the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), although only one will attend.

While Paxton has been listed as a confirmed speaker on CPAC’s website since March 6, a spokesperson for Cornyn told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the senator will not attend the annual gathering of conservative activists set to be held in his home state. The spokesperson cited the fact that the upper chamber will be in session and voting during the week of the conference.

Cornyn and Paxton are competing for the Republican nomination to face Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico, and are set to head to a May 26 runoff election after neither candidate received a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary, during which Cornyn narrowly finished in first place.

Set to take place from March 25-28 in Grapevine, Texas, the next CPAC may serve as a prime opportunity for Paxton, who is running to the right of the 24-year incumbent, to make his case to the party faithful as President Donald Trump has yet to endorse either candidate.

“With Sen. John Cornyn (85% CPAC Lifetime, 53% ‘24) and AG Ken Paxton (100% Lifetime) locked in a fierce Texas Senate runoff, we’ve invited both to address conservatives at CPAC in Texas,” CPAC’s X account wrote Friday. “Also, we are including Cornyn v. Paxton ballot question on our Renowned Straw Poll conducted by Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin.” (RELATED: Longtime GOP Senator Lives To Fight Another Day, But Foe Will Have One More Shot To Oust Him)

With Sen. John Cornyn (85% CPAC Lifetime, 53% ‘24) and AG Ken Paxton (100% Lifetime) locked in a fierce Texas Senate runoff, we’ve invited both to address conservatives at CPAC in Texas. Also, we are including Cornyn v. Paxton ballot question on our Renowned Straw Poll conducted…

— CPAC (@CPAC) March 13, 2026

“All eyes will be on the result as the Senate struggles with the Save Act,” the X post added, referring to a Trump-backed election integrity bill that has generated fierce opposition from Democrats.

Paxton’s office and CPAC did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.

Trump announced in a Truth Social post sent March 4, the day after the Texas Senate primary, that he will endorse either Cornyn or Paxton “soon,” adding “I will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!” However, he has not backed either contender more than a week after the announcement. The president is delaying issuing an endorsement to focus on rallying Republican senators to pass the SAVE Act, Politico reported Monday, citing two anonymous sources.

Paxton wrote in a post to X March 5, one day after Trump’s Truth post teasing an endorsement, that he “would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.” Less than a week later, Cornyn wrote in a Wednesday op-ed published in the New York Post that he would support nixing the filibuster to pass the universal voter ID bill.

CPAC came under scrutiny Tuesday when it announced that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was a confirmed speaker in its March lineup. The Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Department of Justice in late January show that Bannon and the child sex trafficker exchanged thousands of texts and emails after Bannon had left the first Trump administration.

Other confirmed speakers that will address the conference include Reza Pahlavi — the son of the last shah of Iran, former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, independent journalist Nick Shirley and Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Amber Duke, according to CPAC’s website.

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