Down in initial polls of the race, Senator John Cornyn of Texas said he would make charges of corruption against his challenger, the state’s attorney general, stick.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leads Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) by 9 points in their upcoming Republican primary battle for the state’s Senate seat next year, according to a survey released Wednesday.

New polling from Texas Southern University shows Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with a nine point lead over Senator John Cornyn in the upcoming GOP primary.