Abbott and Cruz Gets 1 Percent Apiece
in CPAC Poll while AG Up 46 on Cornyn
Capitol Inside March 29, 2026
Texas didn't fare so well during the weekend on the presidential straw poll for 2028 at the Conservative Action Political Conference - with Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz tied for 5th with 1 percent support each after both had had speaking roles on the stage at the event in Grapevine.
But Attorney General Ken Paxton came out like a rose at the CPAC conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center where it was billed as "the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives" in the world. Paxton led U.S. Senator John Cornyn by 46 points in a poll of its members on the Republican primary runoff in the contest at the top of the Texas ballot this year. Paxton received the nod for the overtime fight from 67 percent compared to 21 percent for the incumbent solon.
Paxton used a speech to the group to chide Cornyn as a no-show who didn't have the guts to show up because he knew he'd be booed. Abbott, however, fancied his appearance at CPAC on Friday as a springboard to a race for the White House - and the state's junior senator has been viewed as a possible contender in two years as well when President Donald Trump can't run again himself.
With State Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola as the moderator, Abbott touted policies and positions that he's taken in recent years - from a fights against police defunding, Islamic influence and Sharia law. The governor contended that he propelled President Donald Trump to the presidency with his busing of migrants to major cities controlled by Democrats in blue states as a wake up call.
“As President Trump himself told me, when I did that, he said it flipped the switch among Americans realizing how serious this matter was and made illegal immigration the most important issues in the presidential race,” Abbott told the audience.
The Texas leader issued a dire warning on socialism creeping into the Lone Star State on his watch. "Texas is well known for cowboys and capitalism," Abbott said. "And what we're seeing seeping into our state - here in our large blue cities - and that is the encroachment of socialism on our policy.
"The reality is, we have found that socialistic policies here in Texas are deadly," the governor added - citing socialists who've been elected as judges in criminal courts where he said they refuse to keep violent offenders in jail.
But Abbott's stellar review for his own policies failed to translate into support for the president's race in 2028 at the CPAC gathering. Vice-President JD Vance led the pack with support in the straw poll from 53 percent. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the only other possible candidate with more than token support after 35 percent of the participants checked his name.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - once regarded as the most likely Trump replacement - was favored in the CPA poll by a mere 2 percent. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., had support from 2 percent as well.
Cruz and Abbott were locked in fifth in the CPAC straw poll with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Director Tulsi Gabbard and U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Health & Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina brought up the rear at 0 percent apiece.
Abbott kept his place on the sidelines in the U.S. Senate runoff that Paxton has been leading in recent polls after finishing 1.5 points behind Cornyn the primary election March 3. But he seized on the opportunity to take a shot at the Democratic nominee - State Rep. James Talarico of Austin.
Talarico “is in the form of Beto O’Rourke,” Abbott asserted. “He’s crazy, and we are not going to allow the Talarico takeover of the state of Texas.”
