As energy finds Texas young conservatives, U.S. Senate hopefuls make their pitch

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Ken Paxton walked onto the stage with a pyrotechnic introduction.

Hundreds of young faces at the Texas Youth Summit, held outside of Houston last month, stared at Paxton as he boasted about the more than 120 combined lawsuits he filed against former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He recounted the obstacles he has overcome since becoming Texas attorney general a decade ago, including a historic impeachment that concluded with his acquittal. The crowd cheered.

He then made his pitch to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who Paxton said has been in office since the 62-year-old was in college.

“I just decided, you know what? It's time that we have representation in Washington that will fight for us,” Paxton said to a roar of approval. “We deserve somebody that will fight for our constitutional rights.”

Paxton’s speech was among a series of recent stops the attorney general has made in front of young Republicans, a group that’s riding a surge in political momentum in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Paxton and other Republican candidates vying for one of Texas’ two U.S. Senate seats are trying to tap into that energy to gain an edge in the wide-open contest, betting that Kirk's killing will galvanize turnout among a voting bloc that usually stays home during primaries.

In the last few weeks, Paxton said he would “look into” Texas Christian University for allegedly canceling an event with an anti-trans influencer, even though the school has said the event was never booked in the first place. This week, he spoke at a packed rally held by the Texas Tech University chapter of Turning Point USA, the group Kirk founded when he was 18

He’s also the only Texan scheduled to speak at America Fest, Turning Point’s annual marquee event in December. He will share the stage with other grassroots GOP powerhouses like Donald Trump Jr., Steve Bannon and Kirk’s widow, Ericka.

Paxton “is special like President Trump in that he is the exception and not the rule,” said Christian Collins, a former congressional candidate and aide who founded the Texas Youth Summit in 2019.

Collins described Paxton as an accessible elected official who gave Collins his cellphone number the first time they met, and whom Collins often greets at events all over the state, where Paxton often speaks with activists and parents. “Ken Paxton is just a darling of the MAGA movement,” Collins said.

Still, Paxton is campaigning with a lot of baggage in tow. Despite emerging victorious in the political and legal battles he often brings up in front of audiences, some Republican strategists believe he could cost the party the Senate seat in a general election against a Democrat.

The accusations Paxton has weathered include committing securities fraud, abusing his office and having an extramarital affair.

The primary race also grew more crowded this week when U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, announced his bid for Cornyn’s seat. Hunt is a former Army combat veteran, a rising Republican star and an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. He is also courting young voters: He was among the speakers at the Texas Youth Summit, and his campaign pointed to events where he has spoken at schools in his district.

“Young people are the future of this country, and as the youngest candidate in the race for U.S. Senate in Texas, I will bring a fresh perspective to the Senate,” Hunt, 43, said in a statement.

Cornyn’s campaign noted the senator headlined the Texas Young Republicans Federation convention the same weekend that Paxton and Hunt spoke at the conference in The Woodlands.

“Sen. Cornyn spends considerable time with young conservative professionals around Texas,” campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak said. “We will actively compete to win the votes of as many young Texas GOP primary voters as possible in this race.”

It remains to be seen whether the energy radiating through young conservatives in Texas and beyond will continue into the March primary and election day next year.

Texas’ young voters have historically made up a sliver of overall turnout in elections, including primaries, which are arguably the most important elections in Texas. While some years have seen voters under 30 sign up to vote in droves, they don’t always make it to the polls.

But Paxton and the other candidates may have good reason to believe that could change following Kirk’s killing on a Utah campus in early September.

Texas already has hundreds of Turning Point USA chapters, which help spur conservative activism, register voters and host events with GOP influencers and elected officials who fire up students and encourage them to continue their organizing.

The organization has received more than 120,000 inquiries since Kirk’s death to start new chapters across the nation, with a spokesperson recently saying, "We are on the cusp of having a TPUSA or Club America chapter in every HS and college campus in America."

“There is no question that Charlie Kirk's assassination tragically, yet poignantly, has been a turning point for America and especially for conservatives,” Mackowiak said.

Disclosure: Texas Christian University and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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