Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, issued a strong response Tuesday after President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state’s Republican runoff for U.S. Senate.
“I have worked closely with President Trump through both of his Presidential terms and voted with him more than 99% of the time. He has consistently called me a friend in this race,” Cornyn wrote on X.
Cornyn argued he remains the Republican candidate best positioned to defeat Democrat challenger James Talarico in November.
Trump, however, said he endorsed Paxton because of the attorney general’s loyalty to the MAGA movement and support for Trump-backed policies.
“The Highly Respected Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, an America First Patriot, and someone who has always been extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT, is running for the United States Senate,” Trump wrote.
Trump praised Paxton as “a WINNER” and “a true MAGA Warrior” and highlighted his support for ending the Senate filibuster and advancing the SAVE America Act.
“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN,” Trump wrote. “Our Country needs Fighters, and also Loyalty to the Cause of Greatness.”
Trump also said Cornyn “was very late in backing me” for the Republican nomination during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough,” Trump wrote.
Cornyn previously told a Texas newspaper in 2023 that Trump “can’t win in 2024” and that Trump’s “time has passed him by,” comments that became a recurring issue in the Senate primary campaign.
According to The Western Journal, Cornyn finished first in the March Republican primary with about 42.5% of the vote, while Paxton received about 40.8%, forcing a runoff because neither candidate crossed the 50% threshold required to win outright.
The runoff is scheduled for May 26.
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Source: Sen. Cornyn Vows Fight After Trump Backs Paxton | Newsmax.com