Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched his campaign for the 2026 Senate race to challenge Sen. John Cornyn.

“It’s definitely time for a change in Texas,” Paxton said Tuesday in an interview on Fox News. “We have another great U.S. senator in Ted Cruz. And it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump.”

Paxton’s announcement sets up a thorny primary battle with Cornyn, a longtime senator who recently secured an endorsement from Senate Majority Leader John Thune.