Key Dem Senate candidate who accused opponent of election denialism has history of questioning results

FIRST ON FOX: The Democrat running in one of this year's top Senate races, who accused his opponent of election denialism, also has a history of questioning the legitimacy of the vote.

Rep. Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee in Texas' Senate race, recently launched attacks against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for avoiding directly saying he would accept the results of the upcoming election, but appears to have forgotten his own statements openly suggesting that future election outcomes may need to be questioned.

"Ted Cruz views questions about our democracy as part of a cynical partisan game. Our democracy isn’t a game. It’s fundamental to who we are as Americans. Ted Cruz is a danger to our freedoms and shared values. We must fire him this November," Allred wrote on X, referencing an appearance by Cruz on liberal network CNN, where he clashed with one of its hosts asking if he'd accept the results this November.

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Cruz pushed back during the interview, questioning why the media never asks Democrats if they would accept election results. He argued that laws in place allowing for results to be challenged on the basis of voter fraud were there for a reason, and hit back at the host's claims there was no fraud during the 2020 election.

Allred, in fact, warned of such fraud ahead of the 2020 election, specifically during an August 2019 appearance at a town hall in Garland, Texas. During the event, he peddled claims that the 2016 election results were due to Russian interference by referencing the Mueller report and Russia hacking into election databases. He also argued there was a need to have "paper trails" on electronic voting machines.

"What we saw in that report may color some of what is happening here, in terms of a willingness to accept foreign interference in elections and things like that. And I think this has raised an entirely new specter for us, which is, is our next election going to be a legitimate one? And that, I think, is a proximate danger for our democracy," Allred said during an appearance on a local radio show in September 2019, again referencing the Mueller report.

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He similarly told a meeting of the Richardson Area Democrats a month later that he was troubled by "the idea that the next election might not be legitimate," suggesting then-President Trump might attempt to use foreign influence to boost his chances at re-election, and said he was "worried still about some of the abilities to hack and change voter rolls and even change vote totals."

Allred said at another town hall meeting that same month that the reason for the then-ongoing Trump impeachment inquiry was "because the legitimacy of the next election was put into question by this President’s actions." 

He said during a Capitol Hill press conference the following year, "We have to decide in this country who’s going to determine our elections. This is only the beginning of this. The Russians in 2016, other foreign influences in 2018. In 2020, there will be other adversaries who will try to take advantage of this."

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Allred continued using similar rhetoric following the 2020 election, including in a 2022 Business Insider article, where he warned of election subversion in that year's midterm elections and in 2024.

"I think there's a very real possibility that we will see in the next two elections, get some results sent to us for ratification – whether it's presidential, congressional or Senate, that's not consistent or that we're gonna have to question… I think that's the reality of the situation we can no longer pretend like these elections are just going to continue to proceed the way they have in the past," he said.

Fox News Digital asked Allred's campaign the same question CNN posed to Cruz: Whether he would accept the outcome of the 2024 election. It offered no response.

Josh Stewart, a spokesperson for Allred's campaign, told Fox regarding the congressman's past questioning of elections, "The only person in this race who tried to overturn a free and fair election is Ted Cruz. Texans saw it with their own eyes on Jan. 6, and come November, they are going to hold him accountable."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Former Trump official wins tight Texas GOP primary runoff

A former Trump campaign official has won a tight primary fight and will now serve as the representative of a deep-red Texas House district.

Republican Katrina Pierson, who served as the spokesperson for former President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, defeated incumbent state Rep. Justin Holland in Tuesday's primary runoff for Texas' 33rd House District, and is the presumptive winner of November's general election since no Democrat candidate is standing in the race.

Pierson had the backing of Republican Texas Gov. Gregg Abott, who sought to oust incumbent Republicans opposed to some of his policy objectives.

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Holland, who was first elected in 2016, opposed key legislation supported by Abbott that would have paved the way for Texas parents to send their children to private or religious affiliated schools using public funding. A group of 21 Republicans, including Holland, joined all Democrats in opposing the measure last year.

Holland has also faced scrutiny for a number of other positions he's taken, including supporting legislation last year that would have raised the age to purchase "assault" style rifles from 18 to 21, and voting in favor of impeaching Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Pierson gained Paxton's backing ahead of the March primary, while Abbott endorsed her ahead of the runoff.

Republicans currently hold 86 of the 150 seats in the Texas state House, a majority of 11.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Opposed by top Texas Republicans and Trump, state House speaker survives GOP primary runoff challenge

The Associated Press projects that Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan will survive a Republican primary runoff election challenge by David Covey.

Phelan's victory in a state House district east of Houston is seen as a political setback for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former President Donald Trump, as well as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Phelan oversaw the effort last year to impeach Paxton over corruption charges. Paxton was acquitted by the state Senate after the House overwhelmingly impeached the controversial attorney general. 

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In response, Paxton targeted over 30 GOP incumbent state representatives, with Phelan at the top of the list. Paxton's most powerful ally, Trump, endorsed Covey.

Meanwhile, Abbott was looking for payback over the downing in the state House last year of his education plan that would have opened the spigot for taxpayer funding of private schools. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott's top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its downing in the state House was a rare political setback for the three-term governor.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS 

Nine GOP state House lawmakers went down to defeat in the state's March primary, with eight more forced into runoffs. All were targeted by either Abbott or Paxton, or by both the governor and the attorney general.

"It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda," veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News last week.

"For Ken Paxton and [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick and Donald Trump by proxy, for them, it is definitely trying to take out the person who led the impeachment against Ken Paxton and who stood in the way of Dan Patrick’s agenda in the Senate. All those factors together make a really powerful force for the Speaker to overcome," he emphasized.

The race was also seen as a proxy battle for the future of the GOP in Texas.

Phelan was backed by old guard Republicans and conservative-leaning business leaders who helped bring the GOP to power in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s. Covey enjoyed the support of not only Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Paxton and Trump, but also far-right activists who place more of an emphasis on social and cultural issues.

If Phelan had lost, he would have become the first Texas House speaker to be ousted in a primary in over a half century.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fifth-generation Texan advances past GOP primary runoff to take on progressive homeless activist

State Rep. Craig Goldman secured the Republican nomination for the open 12th Congressional District in Texas in a runoff Tuesday, a seat opening up due to the retirement of Rep. Kay Granger, according to the Associated Press.

Goldman won in a runoff after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March primary. Granger has held the seat since 1997 but is retiring at the end of the term. 

The race had been a demonstration of the split in the state’s Republican Party. O’Shea had framed himself an "America First" candidate and had touted the backing of Attorney General Ken Paxton and Trump allies, including Roger Stone and Gen. Michael Flynn.

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"It is an honor to support John O’Shea for Texas’ 12th. John is a friend who I have found to be a dedicated husband and father who will put family, faith and country first," Paxton said in a statement backing the candidate. 

O'Shea argued the U.S. "has a number of higher priority issues that must be addressed to ensure our citizens are taken care of before focusing on other global matters."

Goldman, a fifth-generation Texan, meanwhile, had the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dade Phelan, and had voted to impeach Paxton in 2023.  He had promised to be a "conservative fighter who will prioritize border security and the American taxpayer."

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O’Shea had used that vote for Paxton's impeachment to hit his opponent. 

"There is a civil war in the party in the state of Texas," O’Shea said in April, according to the Texas Tribune. "I like to characterize it as the America First-Paxton side, and then there’s the establishment team Phelan side. You have a candidate who represents each one of those two sides. The choice is clear. Now, you have a chance to choose."

Goldman has pushed back against claims he is less conservative than O’Shea, arguing he had a proven conservative voting record.

"That’s the difference between John and I," Goldman said at an April debate, according to KERA News.

The winner of the Republican primary runoff will face Trey Hunt, a progressive activist and mental health professional who has been outspoken on homeless issues. Hunt, whose campaign website says he was "born and raised in Southwest Fort Worth," is running to push for "reform in the criminal justice system," "guaranteeing abortion rights" for women and other issues.

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Both Republican candidates have emphasized their stances on tackling illegal immigration in a state that has been on the frontline of the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. They have both also highlighted their positions on abortion and Second Amendment rights.

It’s one of a number of races in which Abbott and Paxton have chosen opposing candidates. They have done so in five separate races. Both lawmakers have scores to settle, with Paxton targeting those Republicans who voted to impeach him last year on corruption charges and Abbott eyeing those who defeated his 2023 education plan. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott's top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its defeat in the state House was a rare political setback for Abbott.

"It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas, and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda," veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News.

Granger had backed Goldman for the seat, touting his credentials as a "staunch advocate for a strong national defense."

Phelan faces his own challenge in District 21 from oil and gas consultant David Covey. Phelan oversaw the impeachment effort against Paxton. He was later censured by the Texas GOP for the effort. 

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Texas Republican primary runoffs feature political revenge, Trump as key factors

Two of the most powerful Republicans in Texas are aiming to settle some political scores in Tuesday's GOP primary runoff elections.

And a Republican congressman whose district was the scene of the horrific Uvalde school shooting in 2022 and who's bucked his party on key issues is fighting for his political life against an opponent backed by far-right members of the House.

The showdown grabbing the most headlines is east of Houston, where Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan is facing off against challenger David Covey, who is supported by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former President Trump.

Phelan oversaw the effort last year to impeach Paxton over corruption charges. Paxton was acquitted by the state Senate after the House overwhelmingly impeached the controversial attorney general.

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In response, Paxton has targeted more than 30 GOP incumbent state representatives, with Phelan at the top of the list. And Paxton's most powerful ally, Trump, endorsed Covey.

Three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is looking for payback over the downing in the state House last year of his education plan that would have opened the spigot for taxpayer funding of private schools. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott's top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its defeat in the state House was a rare political setback for Abbott.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS

Nine GOP state House lawmakers went down to defeat in the state's March primary, with eight more forced into runoffs. All were targeted by either Abbott or Paxton, or by both the governor and the attorney general.

"It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas, and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda," veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News.

"For Ken Paxton and [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick and Donald Trump by proxy, for them, it is definitely trying to take out the person who led the impeachment against Ken Paxton and who stood in the way of Dan Patrick’s agenda in the Senate. All those factors together make a really powerful force for the speaker to overcome."

Another legislative runoff that may capture some headlines is in suburban Dallas where former Trump campaign adviser and spokesperson Katrina Pierson – with the backing of both Abbot and Paxton – is aiming to unseat state Rep. Justin Holland.

A Republican congressional primary runoff sure to grab national attention is in the southwestern part of the state, where GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales is running for a third two-year term representing a majority Hispanic district that stretches along the U.S.-Mexico border  

With more than 800 miles of U.S.-Mexico border, Texas’s 23rd district has the largest stretch of the border territory of any congressional district. The district is also home to Uvalde, where two years ago 19 children and two adults were murdered in an elementary school shooting.

Gonzales, who has bucked his party on gun safety, immigration and same-sex marriage, is facing off in the runoff against gun rights advocate Brandon Herrera, who's known for his gun-themed YouTube channel titled "The AK Guy."

While Gonzales is backed by Abbot and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Herrera is backed by controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and other far-right House members.

Steinhauser noted that Herrer is branding the showdown as "an establishment-versus-far-right populist race" and that Gonzales "knows that he needs to [protect] his right flank"

But he added that "Tony has a pretty big presence in the conservative eco ecosystem. He’s on Fox News a lot, talking about the border."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be disciplined for suit to overturn 2020 election, court says

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas appeals court has ruled that Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton can face discipline from the state bar association over his failed effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

A disciplinary committee of the State Bar of Texas accused Paxton in 2022 of making false claims of fraud in a lawsuit that questioned President Joe Biden's victory. On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeals said Paxton can be sanctioned by the committee because the lawsuit seeks to punish him in his personal capacity as an attorney and not as a public official.

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"The focus of the Commission’s allegations is squarely on Paxton’s alleged misconduct — not that of the State," Judge Erin Nowell, an elected Democrat, wrote in the 2-1 opinion.

The lone Republican on the panel, Judge Emily Miskel, was in dissent.

A similar lawsuit was also brought against one of Paxton's top deputies. Earlier this week, a coalition of state Republican attorneys general urged the Texas Supreme Court to reject efforts by the bar to impose discipline. All nine members of the state's highest civil court are Republicans.

"As in that case, we will appeal this ruling and we have full confidence the Supreme Court of Texas will not allow false claims by the State Bar and partisan political revenge to affect professional licensure of the state’s lawyers," Paxton spokeswoman Paige Willey said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for the State Bar of Texas and the committee accusing Paxton declined to comment on the ruling.

Paxton is among the highest-profile attorneys to face a threat of sanctions for aiding in efforts led by former President Donald Trump to throw into question Trump's defeat.

The state bar's disciplinary group's punishments against an attorney can range from a written admonition to a suspension or disbarment. The disciplinary process resembles a trial and could include both sides eliciting testimony and obtaining records through discovery.

Paxton is not required to have bar membership in order to serve as attorney general.

State bar officials began investigating complaints over Paxton’s election lawsuit in 2021. A similar disciplinary proceeding was launched by the group against Paxton's top deputy. That case awaits a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court.

Spaced out: Sheila Jackson Lee tells Texas students ‘planet’ moon is ‘made up of mostly of gases’

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, misinformed a group of high school students in Houston that the moon is a "planet" that is "made up mostly of gases."

Jackson Lee, who once led the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee, made several false statements that stunned a crowd of teenagers at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston during Monday’s solar eclipse.

"You’ve heard the word ‘full moon,’" Jackson Lee told the students who were with her on a sports field before the eclipse. "Sometimes, you need to take the opportunity just to come out and see a full moon is that complete-rounded circle, which is made up mostly of gases. And that’s why the question is why or how could we as humans live on the moon? Are the gases such that we could do that?"

The congressional representative continued, saying, "The sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the sun. The moon is more manageable."

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Jackson Lee continued making several statements that were questionable. In one statement, she told students the moon not only reflects the sun’s light but also emits "unique light and energy."

"You have the energy of the moon at night," Jackson Lee said.

In another statement, she misstated how solar eclipses happen.

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"What you will see today, will be the closest distance that the moon has ever been in the last 20 years, which means that’s why they will shut the light down, because they will be close to the earth, which is an amazing experience," Jackson Lee said in a live video clip posted to her X account. "You will be able to tell because there will be complete darkness."

In the video, Jackson Lee tells students not to look at the sun directly, warning them that the eclipse was a serious matter and looking into the sun directly could mean students not being able to leave on their own, but instead, will be walked out while holding their arm.

In the clip, Jackson Lee is seen struggling to put the eclipse glasses on her face as students moved toward the sports field to watch the celestial event.

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She also spoke about being able to live and survive on the moon.

"I don’t know about you, I want to be first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on the moon," Jackson Lee added. "That’s another planet which we’re going to see shortly."

On Tuesday, Jackson Lee turned to X to clear up statements she made to students after RNC Research shared a video clip of her misinforming students.

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"Obviously, I misspoke and meant to say the sun, but as usual, Republicans are focused on stupid things instead of stuff that really matters," she said. "What can I say though, foolish thinkers lust for stupidity."

Jackson Lee continued and said Republicans should focus on prenatal care, affordable housing and reduction of student loan debt.

"Also, I care more about these children who would not have experienced the eclipse in this enthusiastic manner," she added. "And I care more about protecting the rights of women and children than engaging in this kind of senseless dialogue.

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This is not the first time Jackson Lee has made questionable statements regarding science, let alone turned the misstep into a political issue.

In 1997, Jackson Lee visited NASA and demanded to see the flag that astronauts planted on Mars. She was gently advised that no human being had ever been to Mars because it was so far away.

She then went into a rage and accused the space agency of racism before pointing out her membership on the House science committee.

Jackson Lee also claimed during a floor speech in March 2014 that the U.S. Constitution was 400 years old.

While speaking in opposition to a Republican-backed proposal, she gave a brief history lesson. During the lesson, she thanked the GOP for "giving us an opportunity to have a deliberative constitutional discussion that reinforces the sanctity of this nation and how well it is that we have lasted some 400 years operating under a Constitution that clearly defines what is constitutional and what is not."

Jackson Lee was off by nearly 200 years old, as the Constitution was adopted in 1787.

Jackson Lee also has a history of being criticized as one of the "meanest" members of Congress to work for.

In a 2011 Daily Caller report, several former staff members accused Jackson Lee of using demeaning language and name-calling when addressing them.

"You stupid motherf----r," one former employee said Jackson Lee "constantly" called him, while another described an occasion her parents were visiting from out of town and overheard Jackson Lee call her a "stupid idiot" because of a scheduling change. "Don’t be a moron, you foolish girl," the former aide alleged Jackson Lee told her.

Others said she often forced them to work long hours, even into the early hours of the morning, and that she demanded to be driven by staff everywhere she went, regardless of how short the distance.

Brandon Gillespie of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

Speaker Johnson meets Gov Abbott in Texas to talk border action, Mayorkas impeachment

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., met with Texas Governor Greg Abbott on the latter’s home turf on Thursday, where they discussed the ongoing border crisis and the House GOP’s response to it.

The meeting came hours after Johnson revealed that the House of Representatives would send articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on April 10. 

"By opening the border to criminals, traffickers, and cartels, the Biden administration is actively endangering the American people, our families, ranchers, and law enforcement. When the federal government fails to perform its constitutional duty to protect our borders, states have no choice but to fill that role," Johnson said in a statement after the meeting.

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"Right now, we’re witnessing a gross abuse of power as Biden’s Department of Justice uses the judicial system to go after the state of Texas for attempting to safeguard its citizens. Texans, and all Americans, deserve better."

Johnson expressed support for Abbott’s efforts to secure the border between Texas and Mexico, the speaker’s office said, and that the two discussed ways to "hold the Biden administration accountable."

The Louisiana Republican also briefed Abbott on the House readying to transmit the impeachment articles to the Senate, Johnson’s office said.

Abbott, in turn, urged Johnson to "pass border security legislation that will help stop illegal crossings between ports of entry along the southern border," the governor’s office said.

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"The Governor also implored Speaker Johnson to support the state's ongoing fight against President Biden's attacks on Texas' historic border mission and his refusal to secure the border," Abbott’s office said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the meeting.

Abbott has been in a standoff with President Biden for months over differing views on how to handle the migrant crisis at the border.

The White House has criticized Abbott and Texas officials for actions carried out under Operation Lone Star, which has included putting up razor wire at the border and transporting migrants to Democrat-run cities like New York and Chicago. Texas officials have accused the White House, however, of not doing enough to stop the migrant crisis on the federal level.

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House Republicans have similarly pressured Biden over the border crisis, repeatedly hammering him and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for failing to take up a strict border security bill, H.R.2, which Democrats have dismissed as a nonstarter.

Johnson sent a letter to Schumer on Thursday informing him that House impeachment managers would send the impeachment articles to his chamber on April 10 and urged him to hold a trial "expeditiously."

"As Speaker and impeachment managers of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to inform you that we will present to you upon the Senate’s return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment regarding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously," Johnson wrote alongside the 11 Republicans selected as impeachment managers.

Texas AG Ken Paxton cuts deal to pay $300K and avoid felony trial on fraud charges: ‘Happy to comply’

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution on Tuesday under a deal cut with federal prosecutors to terminate fraud charges that have been leveraged against him for nine years. Paxton had pleaded not guilty. 

Prosecutors announced the decision in a Houston courtroom just weeks before Paxton was set to face trial, where he could have faced 99 years in prison if found guilty. 

Paxton's attorney, Dan Cogdell, told Fox News Digital following the announcement that "the state finally realized that they could not prove the charges and simply made us an offer that I could not in good faith advise my client to turn down." 

"Anytime a prosecutor offers clear path to have all the charges against a client of mine dismissed, I am going to recommend they take that path. Only a fool would do otherwise," he said.

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Cogdell said in a press conference Tuesday that Paxton is "happy to comply with the agreement" and avoid a federal trial. 

"We're glad to have this behind us. Eighteen months from now, or perhaps shorter, the case will be dismissed. There will never be a conviction, and Ken Paxton, at least today, can begin to go back and do what he should have been doing all along and that is representing the state of Texas."

"This was a case we knew in fact from the beginning they couldn't prove … on year nine, we still know they couldn't prove," Cogdell said. "You don't go to trial to prove your innocence, the Constitution says the exact opposite of that." 

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In July 2015, before he became the state's top law enforcement officer, Paxton was indicted on charges of allegedly misleading and defrauding wealthy tech startup investors and failing to disclose that the startup was paying him to promote its assets.

A Texas grand jury indicted Paxton on two counts of first-degree securities fraud and a charge of not registering. Paxton was also fined in 2014 for not disclosing to Texas securities regulators that he was getting commissions for soliciting investors.

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The deal that gets Paxton off the hook, which requires him to pay full restitution to victims and complete 100 community service hours and 15 hours of legal education classes, is the second legal victory for the AG in recent months. 

In September 2023, Paxton was acquitted of all impeachment articles filed against him for corruption and unfitness for office. He had faced accusations that he misused his political power to help real estate developer Nate Paul — allegations that stemmed from a lawsuit filed by four former employees who reported him to the FBI. 

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Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Texas AG Paxton teases primary challenge to Cornyn as senator announces leadership bid

Embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, teased a potential 2026 primary challenge to Texas Sen. John Cornyn after the lawmaker announced his bid to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell come November. 

Paxton took to X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday night — prior to Cornyn revealing his intention to run for leader — addressing speculation about it. Paxton said the senator would have difficulty remaining in his role "since he is anti-Trump, anti-gun, and will be focused on his highly competitive primary campaign in 2026."

Despite Paxton's claim, Cornyn endorsed former President Trump for president last month, calling on Republicans to rally around him. 

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The attorney general's accusation of Cornyn being "anti-gun" is likely a reference to his involvement in crafting and bolstering the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a gun reform bill taken up following the Uvalde elementary school shooting in the Lone Star state. Cornyn pioneered the bill alongside senators Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

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Paxton didn't note in his post who would be competing against Cornyn in a primary, but he also hasn't dismissed speculation he would challenge Cornyn. Representatives for Paxton did not respond to Fox News' inquiries about a potential Senate run. 

"Republicans deserve better in their next leader and Texans deserve another conservative Senator," Paxton wrote on X. 

"Hard to run from prison, Ken," Cornyn posted to X shortly afterward, referencing Paxton's legal trouble. In April, the attorney general heads to trial on charges related to securities fraud in a case that has been delayed since an initial indictment more than eight years ago. Paxton was acquitted late last year of 16 articles of impeachment that alleged various acts of bribery and corruption following a highly publicized Texas Senate trial. 

After McConnell's surprise announcement Wednesday that he would step down as Republican Senate leader, Cornyn told reporters, "Not today," noting the day "is about Mitch McConnell." But, he added, "I've made no secret about my intentions."

On Thursday morning, the Texas Republican announced his bid for leader of the Republican conference. 

"I am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell," Cornyn said in a statement. 

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"I believe the Senate is broken — that is not news to anyone," he said. "The good news is that it can be fixed, and I intend to play a major role in fixing it."

Cornyn was the first to announce his campaign for the role, though several others are expected to join the race. 

Paxton responded to the news on X, posing a poll to his followers.

"John Cornyn has waved the white flag on election integrity, border security, protecting the 2nd amendment, and everything else constitutional conservatives care about. Do you think he's conservative enough to lead Republicans in the Senate?" Paxton asked. 

The poll had received more than 13,000 votes by the afternoon, with the overwhelming majority saying "No."

Cornyn's office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.