Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) hasn't launched a formal campaign to challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) next year, but he appeared to inch closer toward a run during a recent interview.

"He’s had his chance. He hasn’t performed well, and the voters know it," Paxton told Punchbowl News on Monday. "You can go a long time without people paying attention. And they’re paying attention now."

Paxton’s remarks echo what he told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview last month.

"I don't know if I'm running for sure. I'm looking at it," the far-right firebrand said. "Probably in the next few months I'll be talking to people around the state."

Cornyn, 73, said in February he will seek a fifth term in 2026.

According to Punchbowl, money will be the deciding factor in whether or not Paxton primaries Cornyn, a Republican stalwart who has been in the Senate for nearly two decades and climbed the chamber's GOP ranks. The Texas senator narrowly lost a bid earlier........

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