Supporters of Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) were divided by the news of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s ouster over whether Paxton should be considered for the national job or should remain in the fight to replace John Cornyn.
Paxton is currently in a heated Republican runoff with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, with President Donald Trump yet to issue an endorsement ahead of the May 26 contest. If Paxton were to be tapped for a national position and drop out of the race, it would effectively clear the field for Cornyn and set the general election matchup against Democrat James Talarico.
The Daily Wire could not confirm whether Paxton is actually being considered. Other names circulating in Republican circles include EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet also floated Paxton’s name, alongside others like Zeldin, Dhillon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought.
Kolvet said the next individual has “to be ruthless and smart and impossible to distract or slow down.” The spokesman for the conservative group said that he’s been told that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who was Trump’s withdrawn pick for the role last year, is not “pursuing” the job.
With Bondi departing, I have a few people in mind to be the next AG, who’s your pick?
• Harmeet Dhillon
• Lee Zeldin
• Ken Paxton
• Jeanine Pirro
• Ron DeSantis
• Russ Vought (but he’s great at OMB)Has to be ruthless and smart and impossible to distract or slow down.…
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) April 2, 2026
Online speculation intensified following posts from conservative commentators and political observers, many of whom argued Paxton would have a greater impact as attorney general than as a U.S. senator.
“Bondi is OUT,” conservative influencer “Red Eagle Politics” posted to X on Thursday. “Ken Paxton should be our next AG. He can make a massive impact in that role, whereas in the Senate he would just be one vote out of 100.”
The prediction market Kalshi gives Paxton roughly a 4% chance of becoming Trump’s nominee, compared to 57% for Zeldin and 31% for interim Attorney General Todd Blanche.
One X post from Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan listed several names being discussed:
People close to the White House are throwing around a lot of names for the next attorney general. Here’s a few of the names I’ve had mentioned to me today:
– Mike Lee
– Harmeet Dhillon
– Ashley Moody
– Lee Zeldin
– Eric Schmitt— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 2, 2026
Others pointed out that the brutal nature of the primary, which has highlighted Paxton’s past personal and professional controversies, could complicate the potential confirmation process.
“I think there’s a non-zero chance Trump tries to replace Pam Bondi with Texas’s Ken Paxton and rams the vote through an otherwise hesitant Senate by promising that since Cornyn would then become the TX Senate nominee, odds to keep the chamber go up,” Michigan State University policy professor Josh Cowen wrote on X.
Some conservatives pushed back on the Paxton buzz, saying he should remain in the Senate race to challenge Cornyn.
“Watch for the horse trading to put Ken Paxton up for AG thus making Cornyn the senator from Texas again,” conservative commentator Chad Caton wrote. “THIS CANT HAPPEN. We must rid ourselves of the power and influence that John Cornyn wields. Ken Paxton must be the next Senator from Texas.”
Democrats also suggested that Paxton could be the pick to take on the top law enforcement role in the Trump administration.
“Depending on how low he wants to go, I figure he goes with Ken Paxton to replace Bondi. Who is scummier than him? Plus he clears the field in Texas for Cornyn,” Democratic activist Paul Jacobs posted to X.
“My prediction: with Pam Bondi out, Ken Paxton is next up. Yes, Texas’ scandal-ridden AG who’s currently tripping his way through a primary runoff against John Cornyn,” former liberal political strategist Shea Jordan Smith wrote on Facebook. “They’d much rather send Cornyn into a general election than take a chance on Paxton, who’s radioactive enough to turn a winnable race into a problem… especially with James Talarico on the other side.”
The Daily Wire reached out to the Paxton campaign for comment. The Cornyn campaign declined to comment.
When asked about Bondi’s status, the White House pointed to a Truth Social post from Trump praising her for doing “a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our country.”
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