Rebel GOP Senate candidate enters lion's den for Trump's State of the Union

Ken Paxton to face John Cornyn at Trump’s State of the Union amid brutal Texas GOP primary

Rep. Troy Nehls revealed to Fox News Digital that he is bringing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as his guest to President Trump's State of the Union address.

FIRST ON FOX: The bruising Texas Republican Senate primary has made its way to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, where one GOP rebel will enter a lion’s den of lawmakers rooting against him.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to attend Trump’s address Tuesday night as a guest of Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. Inside the room, he will be face-to-face with one of his opponents, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Senate Republican leadership, who have sided with the longtime incumbent in the bloody, three-way primary battle.

Paxton told Fox News Digital in an interview from Nehls’ office that Tuesday was about Trump touting his accomplishments, not his battle for the GOP nomination in Texas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is attending President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech as a guest of Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"If I see these guys, I'm going to be friendly. I've no axe to grind with [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune or any of the other leadership — they're doing their jobs," Paxton said. "My axe to grind is with the guy that I'm running against, and his representation of the last 24 years has fallen way short. And Texans deserve better. And that's the campaign, that's not the State of the Union."

Early voting has already begun in the Lone Star State, where Paxton is hoping to unseat Cornyn, who is vying for his fifth term in the upper chamber. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is also in the mix but won’t be attending Trump’s State of the Union address.

While Paxton was adamant that the address wasn’t about his campaign, the tense race was hard to avoid. He and Cornyn are both vying for Trump’s endorsement.

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Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, sports a Donald Trump tie outside the U.S. Capitol on June 27, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

When asked why he invited Paxton, Nehls told Fox News Digital, "Because he's going to be the next senator out of the great state of Texas."

"John Cornyn, he’s gotta go," Nehls said. "John, you know you've been up here for 24 years. If you can't get your agenda done in 24, you're not going to get it done in 30, right?"

Matt Mackowiak, a senior campaign advisor for Cornyn, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the lawmaker was "delighted that the president of the Border Patrol Union will be his guest tonight."

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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, pictured here, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are engaged in a brutal primary battle and will be in the same room for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.  (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

"While Senator Cornyn has voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time, Ken Paxton was lying to taxpayers, lying to his staff and lying to his wife, all the while increasing his net worth by millions of dollars while in public office," Mackowiak said. "He would devastate the GOP down-ballot if he’s the nominee."

Meanwhile, both Nehls and Paxton were eager to hear Trump rattle through his accomplishments in what’s expected to be a marathon address.

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Trump’s actions on immigration since starting his second term were top of mind for both Paxton and Nehls, who noted that during his time as a sheriff, he saw firsthand the effects of crime that would seep through the southern border.

"Donald Trump put a stop to it right away," Nehls said. "We have the most secure border we've ever had, and that's because of Donald Trump's leadership."

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]