Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's decision to run for the U.S. Senate continues one of the most consistent streaks in Texas politics. Every Texas attorney general since 1972 has used the position as a springboard to higher office by either running for governor or the United States Senate.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's entry into the U.S. Senate race against incumbent John Cornyn could serve as a litmus test for a Republican party in flux. "It's an establishment versus an insurgent campaign,