Trump endorses Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn ahead of Texas Republican Senate runoff

President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Senate, dealing a massive political blow to longtime Sen. John Cornyn as he faces off against Paxton in an Republican primary runoff.

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“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,†Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

Of Cornyn, meanwhile, Trump wrote, “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.â€

Cornyn and Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff after neither won a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary, with Cornyn, who is in his the four term, narrowly ahead of Paxton, 42%-41%.

The nominee will take on Democrat James Talarico in the fall. While Trump won Texas by 14 points in 2024, Democrats have long sought to win the state, and they believe they could have a shot this year as Trump’s approval rating has dropped.

Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful one there is in a GOP primary, and his decision to back Paxton could put an end to Cornyn’s long political career, marked by more than two decades in the Senate following stints as state attorney general, a state Supreme Court justice and a district court judge.

Last weekend, another Republican senator, Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, lost his primary after Trump endorsed an opponent, Rep. Julia Letlow, who advanced to a GOP runoff.

A late play

Paxton posted on social media that he is “incredibly honored†to have Trump’s support. “I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!†he wrote. “Texas, get out and VOTE!â€

Trump’s backing of Paxton, after early voting in the runoff began Monday, comes after weeks of speculation about whether he would weigh in on the race. He had seemed ready to back Cornyn after the March primary, but he later tied his endorsement to passage of the SAVE America Act, a proposal to overhaul the nation’s voting laws.

Paxton said he would consider dropping out if Senate leadership agreed to kill the 60-vote threshold to end debate on legislation, known as the filibuster, to pass the measure.

Cornyn responded to Trump’s endorsement on X, noting that he has supported Trump’s agenda and that Trump “has consistently called me a friend in this race.â€

“It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardizes everything we care about.â€

Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally who worked in his first administration and has backed Paxton, said the Paxton campaign sent Trump polling showing him ahead in the primary. In addition, Bannon said Trump allies made sure that past negative comments Cornyn had made about Trump over the years were top of mind.

A person close to Trump also pointed to Paxton’s trajectory in recent polling as a factor in Trump’s endorsement, as well as recent successes for his endorsees in other primaries.

“He has had some big recent wins. I think he both likes the attention and is feeling a moment,†the person said.

Bannon also noted that the endorsement came even though Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and numerous other senators urged Trump to back Cornyn.

“This is as much a vote of no confidence in John Thune as it is a vote of confidence in Ken Paxton,†Bannon said.

Thune responded told reporters Tuesday afternoon, “It’s his decision.â€

A source familiar with Trump’s decision said Thune’s positions on the proposed Justice Department’s “anti-weaponization fund†and the White House ballroom helped push him toward endorsing Paxton. Thune told reporters Tuesday morning that he was “not a big fan†of the proposed fund. And Thune has cautioned that numerous Senate Republicans are skeptical about the ballroom money, although he got behind the $1 billion request last week after a closed-door briefing by the Secret Service director.

A Republican operative involved in Senate races added that they believed Trump just wanted to be on winning side of the runoff and was moved to weigh in based on recent polling — and also that he was taking an opportunity to needle Thune.

“He saw the way the winds were blowing, but the f— you to Thune is an added bonus,†the operative said.

GOP senators worry about a competitive race

Cornyn and allies made the case that he represented the party’s best chance at holding on to the Senate seat and avoiding any drag on the rest of the Republican ticket in Texas, given Paxton’s personal and professional controversies.

Paxton was impeached on bribery and corruption charges in 2023; the state Senate acquitted him. Meanwhile, Paxton’s wife announced last year that she was divorcing him on “biblical grounds.â€

“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years,†Cornyn said March 3 after the runoff matchup became clear. “There is simply too much at stake in this midterm election for our state and for our country. The final two years of President Trump’s agenda hangs in the balance.â€

Trump’s endorsement didn’t land well with Republican senators, perplexing and bewildering many of them. Even some Trump allies fretted that it would hurt the party’s standing in the fall election.

After Trump’s endorsement Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he worries that the Texas Senate race will be “three times more expensive†for Republicans trying to defeat Talarico if Paxton is the nominee.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the pathway for Paxton is there, but it’s more uphill,†Graham told reporters.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is running in her own battleground race this year, said of Paxton: “I don’t understand it. He is an ethically challenged individual. John Cornyn is an outstanding senator and deserved, in my judgment, the president’s support. Obviously, it’s the president’s call, but I’m disappointed that he did it.â€

Not everyone shares that view though. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third in the initial Republican Senate primary in March, also endorsed Paxton on Tuesday soon after Trump made his pick.

A Republican operative described the situation, and the potential competitive race in Texas, as the result of a long-term “epic botch job†by the White House.

“We spent $100 million†in this primary “and now we’re going to have to spend more,†the operative said, also raising the specter that drag from Paxton down the ticket could lead to the GOP’s losing some of the Texas congressional districts it redrew last year.

Waiting so long to endorse and allowing a divisive primary to simmer, the operative added, created a situation in which Democrats will smell more blood in the water and direct more money to Talarico, forcing Republicans to respond with cash that could have gone into other races across the Senate battlefield.

Talarico responded to the news of Trump’s endorsement by saying both Paxton and Cornyn “have embodied a broken politics that enriches wealthy donors while costs skyrocket for the rest of us.â€

“As I said on primary night, it doesn’t matter who wins this runoff,†Talarico said. “We already know who we’re running against: the billionaire megadonors and their corrupt political system.â€

Despite concerns about Paxton from senators and others inside the Republican Party, Trump told NBC News in mid-March, as he weighed his endorsement, that he viewed both Cornyn and Paxton as candidates who could win in November. Trump called Talarico “so weak.â€

Paxton, meanwhile, pitched himself as Trump’s truest ally in the race, and his supporters were quick to liken him to Trump, who also faced two impeachments.

Paxton has criticized Cornyn’s work on a bipartisan gun bill after multiple mass shootings, including one at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, as well as Cornyn’s past criticisms of Trump. In 2023, Cornyn said Trump’s “time has passed him by,†suggesting he wasn’t the most electable presidential candidate in 2024. He did eventually endorse Trump. Cornyn also said the criminal charges alleging that Trump mishandled classified documents were “very serious.â€

Paxton has also repeatedly touted his unwavering support for Trump.

“I want to tell you, the last time I felt this kind of energy in one room, I was actually at Mar-a-Lago when President Trump announced he was running again in 2024. I don’t know if you remember, but it was right after the midterms, and everyone was turning on the president. The establishment, the media and most Republican elected officials in America were lining up against him. Not me,†Paxton told his supporters on primary night.

Paxton later added that it was time to send Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Trump “some reinforcements†in Washington.

“And I’m running to do just that,†he said.