The Republican runoff between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has turned into a heated contest over who can take a harder line on Islam, with both candidates trading accusations about the other's approach to Muslim communities and institutions.
Cornyn's camp has faced attacks from Paxton-allied groups claiming he supports "Muslim mass immigration" and harbors "a special place in his heart for radical Islam." In response, Cornyn has emphasized his record "fighting radical Islamic extremism" and drafted legislation to "stop the spread of Sharia Law in the U.S." Neither candidate responded to requests for comment.
The intensity of anti-Muslim messaging in this race has alarmed Texas Muslim leaders and civil rights advocates, who say the frequency and severity of such attacks have reached new heights. Shehla Faizi, a Green Party candidate for state comptroller, described the pattern bluntly: "Every time it's an election year, this is one of the favorite cards that the GOP plays to get votes. We have a boogeyman, the boogeyman are Muslims, and we're going to use that to make people afraid."
Both candidates have spent much of the past year attacking a real estate development proposed by leaders of the East Plano Islamic Center. Cornyn successfully lobbied the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the project, citing concerns about potential discrimination or "Sharia law" influence, claims the developers have denied. The DOJ closed its investigation without taking action, but Paxton has pursued separate state-level litigation against the project and its affiliates.
Political scientists attribute the focus on Islam partly to Trump's influence over Republican primaries. Dr. Brandon Rottinghaus at the University of Houston noted that primary runoffs hinge on mobilizing "the molten core of what the base wants politically." Research shows that support for Trump correlates strongly with Islamophobic attitudes, and both Cornyn and Paxton spent months courting Trump's endorsement before the May 26 election. Trump ultimately backed Paxton as a "true MAGA Warrior," criticizing Cornyn as "very late" to his cause.
Muslims make up less than 2 percent of Texas's population, yet the issue resonates with Republican voters for several reasons. Dr. Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, pointed to current geopolitical tensions and polling data showing declining favorable views of Muslims. Research from the University of Maryland found a sharp decrease in "favorable" attitudes toward Muslims between 2016 and 2024, particularly among white, Christian, and Jewish Americans surveyed.
The anti-Muslim sentiment in Texas extends beyond the Senate race. Governor Greg Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a foreign terrorist organization under state law, a decision CAIR has challenged in court. Abbott also sent letters to sheriffs and district attorneys in North Texas counties urging them to work with Paxton to investigate purported efforts to "illegally enforce Sharia law." A spokesman for Abbott said the actions target "radical groups who support terrorism."
In other races, Republican candidates have made inflammatory statements. Bo French, running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, once posted a Twitter poll asking voters whether Jews or Muslims posed a bigger threat to America. Though the poll drew criticism from some Republicans including Cornyn, French has continued his campaign and recently declared that "Islam poses an existential threat to Texans' way of life." He has received endorsements from multiple Republican politicians.
Similar patterns are emerging across the country. In Florida, Republican House Representative Randy Fine tweeted that choosing between dogs and Muslims "is not a difficult one." Tennessee GOP Representative Andy Ogles stated that "Muslims don't belong in American society." Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville has called Islam a cult and claimed "Islamists aren't here to assimilate. They're here to conquer."
Sameeha Rizvi, a civic engagement coordinator for CAIR, warned that political rhetoric fueling anti-Muslim sentiment will have real consequences. "What you are doing right now by instilling hate and fear and misinformation is only going to create more division, more hate crimes and more attacks," she said, referencing incidents like the San Diego attack. She also stressed that Muslims are not newcomers to America or Texas. "Muslims have been here for a very long time, all the way back to the enslaved ships," she said. "We are your neighbors."
Some Texas Muslims have responded by entering politics themselves. Faizi decided to run for comptroller after concluding that "the time for just discussion was over." She previously hosted a five-year podcast called "I'm A Muslim (And That's Okay!)" designed to educate people about Islam through direct conversation, but came to believe direct political action was necessary to counter what she sees as authoritarian overreach and oligarchy.
Author James Rodriguez: "The willingness of mainstream Republican candidates to deploy Islam as a wedge issue, then watch fringe candidates take it to absurd extremes, reveals how much further right the party has moved since Trump entered politics."
Comments