In what is shaping up to be the biggest battle of the 2026 ballot in the Lone Star State, incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn picked up the endorsements of the two largest law enforcement organizations in Texas.

Meanwhile, Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas in his campaign to beat Cornyn in the GOP Primary, has been making a play for the endorsement of President Donald Trump in hopes of remaining a conservative favorite. Wesley Hunt has also made waves as a possible Republican candidate, with a PAC having recently purchased ads promoting his biography.

The Texas Municipal Police Association (TPMA) and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of America (CLEAT), with a combined membership of around 61,000, threw their weight behind Cornyn today according to a press release from the Senator’s re-election campaign.

“Senator Cornyn has been a steadfast supporter of Texas law enforcement, ensuring officers have the resources and protections they need,” said TMPA Executive Director Kevin Lawrence. “His leadership makes a real difference, and TMPA is proud to stand with him.”

CLEAT president Scott Leeton said Cornyn “has demonstrated an honest and ethical approach to public office over his entire career. John Cornyn always backs the blue and we will have his back.”

CLEAT and TMPA lauded Cornyn for several of his pro-law-enforcement efforts, including co-sponsoring the Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act (to strengthen penalties for criminals who try to burglarize an FFL dealership) and co-sponsorhip of the successful Laken Riley Act (to detain illegal migrants who assault law enforcement officers).

The press release also noted Cornyn’s involvement with the Back the Blue Act (imposing additional consequences on criminals who kill, attempt to kill, or assault a federal law enforcement officer), the Justice for All Reauthorization Act, Debbie Smith Act, and Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act, all of which fund the testing of rape kits and intended to keep criminals off the streets, among numerous other points. The release also noted Cornyn’s role in securing numerous grants to assist local law enforcement entities.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of our state’s two largest law enforcement organizations, both of which work every single day to defend our brave law enforcement professionals across Texas,” Cornyn said, in the release. “Through my career in public service, I have always respected law enforcement and I always will. Elected officials should respect law enforcement and work with them to make them more effective. I have always supported efforts to ‘Back the Blue’ and I always will.”

While the Paxton campaign has not responded by the time of writing, the state’s “top cop” continues to make mention of his law enforcement victories via official press releases. Recently, Paxton claimed he played critical role in the indictments of nine persons charged with ballot harvesting, the practice of collecting completed absentee or mail-in ballots from voters and delivering them to election officials as a third party and for pay.

Atty. Gen. Paxton’s most recent press releases touted his inolvement with protecting data privacy, combatting Medicaid fraud, suing the U.S. Masters Swimming organization for allowing men to compete in women’s competitions, and investigating reports of fraudulent charities in wake of the July Fourth flooding events.

In terms of fundraising, Cornyn originally announced a $3.9 million haul from the start of April through the end of June, but the Texas Tribune reported $803,000 of that sum went directly to his campaign. The remaining $3.1 million was raised by a joint fundraising committee — of which not all of the funds will go to Cornyn directly but to affiliated organizations.

Roughly $1.2 million of these contributions exceed the amount that can be given to a single candidate, meaning Cornyn’s campaign more accurately raised $2.7 million, according to Texas Tribune.

Paxton raised $2.9 million during the same timeframe, having filed April 8. Since then, Paxton has picked up the endorsements of two state legislators. In 2023, Paxton avoided being impeached by the legislature following a vote by the state House to expel him from office. More recently, Paxton made major headlines following the announcement by his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, that she was seeking a divorce after a year of separation. Paxton was a legislator from 2003-13, during which time he was a conservative stalwart and a contender for House Speaker.

Cornyn himself was state attorney general just before Paxton entered the Texas Legislature, having taken his U.S. Senate seat in 2002.