Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate runoff on Tuesday, his second endorsement in a Republican primary against a sitting GOP senator this cycle.
Trump made the endorsement in a lengthy Truth Social post which mentioned the incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, and blamed him for insufficient support of the president and his continued grip on the Republican Party.
“Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next United States Senator from the Great State of Texas,” wrote Trump, calling the attorney general “someone who has always been extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT.”
He added of Cornyn: “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough...John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself.”
This marks the president’s second attempt to shake up the Senate GOP conference this year, and comes as the results of the Louisiana Senate primary and his efforts to boost Rep. Julia Letlow over incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy won a resounding victory this week. Cassidy becomes the first duly-elected sitting senator to lose a primary challenge in more than 10 years, since Richard Lugar in 2013.
Both races put GOP leadership in a bind, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his allies have already spent millions to back both Cornyn and Cassidy. Texas represents a particular disaster waiting to happen for Republicans, as Democrats are seriously in the running to take the seat in most polling which has shown James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, within low single digits of both Cornyn and Paxton.
Republicans tied to Senate leadership have already sunk more than $10 million into supporting Cornyn’s re-election bid, and have been pushing Trump for months to support the incumbent. Earlier this year Trump gave a half-hearted endorsement of both candidates ahead of the initial primary contest between the two candidates and Rep. Wesley Hunt, who came in third.
That money will be largely useless if Paxton wins a runoff election one week from Tuesday, as it was mostly spent around improving Cornyn’s own image and, in some cases, tearing down Paxton’s. Republicans aligned with Paxton have spent months highlighting the controversial state attorney general’s many scandals, including an investigation into misuse of his office that resulted in an effort by state Republicans to impeach him. He’s also in the middle of a messy divorce, and has been accused of adultery by his wife.
Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, speaking to reporters after the news, said Tuesday that he preferred Cornyn and would endorse Paxton only if the senator lost his reelection bid, but said that the attorney general’s fight for the seat would be more “uphill” and would “cost more” for the party.
Republicans need to hold on to Texas’ Senate seat to protect a GOP majority in the upper chamber. Democrats are already favored to pick up a seat in North Carolina and have a strong chance of taking a seat once held by Vice President JD Vance. With a 53-47 split in the chamber, Democrats would only need two other pickups to retake control of the Senate. Republicans are facing tough battles in Alaska and Maine, both held by GOP incumbents, as well.
But in Texas, the GOP-on-GOP battle is causing deeper effects. Aside from the considerable financial cost of protecting Cornyn and the equally-large shadow cast by the oncoming general election, the race also threatens to paint the Republican Party as chaotic and toxic at a time when that brand can affect other races both in Texas and around the country. Both in the Lone Star State and elsewhere, battleground races are set to be decided this fall not just on the strength of individual candidates but also enthusiasm for (or opposition towards) Donald Trump’s administration.
In Texas, in particular, the contentious nature of the primary threatens to blunt turnout in November if supporters of one particular candidate are turned off by the victor.
Cassidy did not take questions when he was spotted by reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday shortly after the announcement. Other Republicans signaled their disappoinment in the president’s decision.
Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, another Republican, told reporters “we’ll see!” when asked if he was worried about the seat remaining in Republican hands after Trump’s announcement.
“Obviously I strongly support Sen. Cornyn,” he said. “I had hoped he would support or endorse Sen. Cornyn.”
The Democratic Party’s Senate campaign arm, which has been slavering over the brutal Republican infighting in Texas for months, released a statement shortly after the news broke.
“Republicans are watching $100 million circle down the drain before their eyes as Donald Trump rejects their year of begging him to bail out John Cornyn. While the Texas GOP has been embroiled in a ‘bitter,’ ‘costly intraparty war’ that has fractured their base and left them drained of resources, Democratic enthusiasm has surged to its highest level in decades. James Talarico is building the campaign to win, and Texans will send him to the U.S. Senate in November,” said Maeve Coyle.
