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President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he will soon endorse a Republican candidate in the contentious Texas Senate race, urging a swift resolution to a primary battle that has deeply divided the party.
“This cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer,” Trump wrote on social media after four-term Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff for the Republican nomination.
Trump heightened the drama by stopping short of naming his preferred candidate, instead declaring: “I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!”
Paxton, however, quickly rebuffed the suggestion he might withdraw, telling Real America’s Voice, “I’m staying in this race. I owe it to the people of Texas.”
The prolonged primary battle has Republican strategists concerned about the impact of an 83-day runoff campaign that promises to be expensive and divisive. Party leaders worry it could damage their chances of maintaining control of Congress in competitive races nationwide.
Texas, which Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2020, was not expected to be a political battleground this election cycle. But operatives from both parties now believe Democrats have a realistic opportunity to claim a Senate seat in the state for the first time in nearly four decades.
Democrats have nominated state Representative James Talarico, a 36-year-old Christian progressive who Republican insiders privately acknowledge may be a stronger general election candidate than his primary opponent, Representative Jasmine Crockett.
On Capitol Hill, Republican senators are applying significant pressure on Trump to back Cornyn. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina stated that Cornyn represents “the best bet to win the general election,” while Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming and Mike Rounds of South Dakota have conveyed similar messages to the former president.
The campaign has reached such intensity that Representative Ronny Jackson, a Trump ally from Texas, indicated many expect the former president to endorse Cornyn. “It’s going to be probably more difficult for Paxton to beat Talarico than Cornyn,” Jackson said, noting that avoiding further intraparty conflict would prevent the eventual nominee from entering the general election “wounded.”
Cornyn and his allies invested nearly $70 million to survive the first round of the primary. He holds a slight lead over Paxton with some votes still being tallied.
The endorsement decision places Trump in a delicate position with his base. Some right-wing allies have cautioned him against backing Cornyn, whom they view as insufficiently loyal to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. Conservative influencer Mike Cernovich warned on social media that “Endorsing Cornyn will be more gutting to the base than the Iran air strikes.”
Paxton has positioned himself as an unwavering Trump supporter, the type he argues is needed in Washington. At a Dallas rally Tuesday night attended by a few hundred supporters, Paxton struck a defiant tone: “We just sent a message, loud and clear, to Washington. We are not going to go quietly, and we are not going to let you buy the seat.”
The pro-Paxton Lone Star political action committee released a memo describing Cornyn as a “Washington relic” and arguing that despite the establishment’s efforts, “the results, the data, and the reality on the ground all point to the same conclusion: John Cornyn has no viable path to the Republican nomination.”
Cornyn, meanwhile, has launched a direct attack on Paxton’s fitness for office, telling reporters that the attorney general would be “a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans” in November. Paxton has long faced allegations of corruption and infidelity.
“I’ve worked for decades to build the Republican Party, both here in Texas and nationally,” Cornyn said. “I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton to risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years.”
The financial stakes are substantial, with Cornyn having already depleted significant resources in the primary’s first round. His campaign indicated he has several small fundraisers planned as he returns to Washington.
The Texas Senate race has unexpectedly emerged as one of the most closely watched contests of the election cycle, with implications that could extend far beyond the state’s borders as both parties battle for control of Congress.
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6 Comments
While Trump’s endorsement can carry a lot of weight, I’m curious to see if Paxton’s refusal to drop out will impact the dynamics here. The party may want a quick resolution, but the candidates may have their own plans.
The Texas Senate race is an important one, and Trump’s involvement adds an extra layer of intrigue. I’ll be following this closely to see how it all plays out in the coming weeks.
It’s interesting that Trump is urging a swift resolution to this primary battle, even going so far as to threaten asking the non-endorsed candidate to drop out. This could get messy, but the party’s priority is likely maintaining control of the Senate seat.
This race seems to be heating up between Paxton and Cornyn. It will be interesting to see who Trump endorses and how that impacts the outcome. Texas is a crucial state for Republicans to hold in the Senate.
This race highlights the ongoing tensions within the Republican party. Trump’s involvement adds an extra layer of complexity, and it will be intriguing to see how the dynamics play out in the coming weeks.
The division within the Republican party in Texas is concerning. A prolonged and expensive runoff campaign could damage their chances in the general election. Trump’s endorsement will be closely watched, but the candidates’ own ambitions may take precedence.