Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who is running for reelection, warned voters Wednesday that if state Attorney General Ken Paxton defeats him in the Republican primary next month then it could be a "massacre" for the party in November.

The warning comes as early voting in the state is already underway, where the latest polls show the attorney general leading the incumbent and Texas GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt for the nomination. 

“If Ken Paxton is the nominee, we could well experience a massacre and the first Democrat elected since 1994 in the state of Texas,” Cornyn told supporters in Fort Worth. “I know people assume that Texas is a red state, will always be a red state, but when you nominate a flawed individual with the sort of political baggage that Ken Paxton has, you are risking all that." 

Cornyn also warned that Paxton's nomination could even hurt Texas Republicans down ballot, according to NBC News.

"You’re risking the United States Senate seat," he said. "You’re risking President Trump’s agenda to resume two years in office, and you are risking everybody else on the ballot below the Senate race. Republicans up and down the ticket will pay the price of having an albatross like our corrupt attorney general hung around their neck."

The comments refer to Paxton's tough impeachment trial in 2023 over allegations of corruption, for which he was impeached by the state House but not removed by the state Senate. Paxton has denied wrongdoing.

The Texas primary will take place on March 3, but neither of the three GOP nominees are expected to secure enough votes for the nomination, meaning a run-off election will likely take place in May.