{"id":12970,"date":"2026-05-19T18:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/19\/trump-endorses-ken-paxton-over-sen-john-cornyn-ahead-of-texas-republican-senate-runoff-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:23:15","slug":"trump-endorses-ken-paxton-over-sen-john-cornyn-ahead-of-texas-republican-senate-runoff-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/19\/trump-endorses-ken-paxton-over-sen-john-cornyn-ahead-of-texas-republican-senate-runoff-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump endorses Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn ahead of Texas Republican Senate runoff – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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

\u201cKen is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,\u201d Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of the incumbent, meanwhile, Trump wrote, \u201cJohn Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ken<\/picture>
Ken Paxton on March 3, 2026, in Dallas.<\/span>Sergio Flores \/ Getty Images filer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cornyn and Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff after neither candidate won a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary, with the four-term senator narrowly ahead of Paxton, 42%-41%.<\/p>\n

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 Lone Star State, and they believe they could have a shot this year as Trump\u2019s approval rating has dropped.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s endorsement is the most powerful one there is in a GOP primary, and the president\u2019s decision to back Paxton could put an end to Cornyn\u2019s long political career, marked by more than two decades in the Senate following stints as state attorney general, state Supreme Court justice and a district court judge.<\/p>\n

Last weekend, another Republican senator, Louisiana\u2019s Bill Cassidy, lost his primary<\/a> after Trump endorsed an opponent, Rep. Julia Letlow, who advanced to a GOP runoff.<\/p>\n

A late play<\/h2>\n

Paxton posted on social media<\/a> that he is \u201cincredibly honored\u201d to have Trump\u2019s support. \u201cI look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!\u201d he wrote. \u201cTexas, get out and VOTE!<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s backing of Paxton, after early voting in the runoff began Monday, comes after weeks of speculation about whether the president would weigh in on the race. He had seemed ready to back Cornyn after the March primary, but he later tied his endorsement<\/a> to passage of the SAVE America Act, a proposal overhauling the nation\u2019s voting laws. <\/p>\n

Paxton said he would consider dropping out<\/a> of the race if Senate leadership agreed to nix the 60-vote threshold to end debate on legislation, known as the filibuster, in order to pass the measure. <\/p>\n

Cornyn responded to Trump\u2019s endorsement in a statement on X<\/a> noting that he has supported Trump\u2019s agenda and that the president \u201chas consistently called me a friend in this race.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally who worked in his first administration and has backed Paxton, said that 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.<\/p>\n

A person close to Trump also pointed to Paxton\u2019s trajectory in recent polling as a factor in the president\u2019s endorsement, as well as recent successes for his endorsees in other primaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has had some big recent wins, I think he both likes the attention and is feeling a moment,\u201d the person said.<\/p>\n

Bannon also noted how the endorsement came despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune and numerous other senators urging the president to back Cornyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is as much a vote of no confidence in John Thune as it is a vote of confidence in Ken Paxton,\u201d Bannon said.<\/p>\n

Thune responded to Trump\u2019s endorsement, telling reporters on Tuesday afternoon, \u201cIt\u2019s his decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

A source familiar with Trump\u2019s decision said Thune\u2019s positions on the proposed Justice Department\u2019s \u201canti-weaponization fund\u201d<\/a> and the White House ballroom helped push the president toward endorsing Paxton. Thune told reporters Tuesday morning that he was \u201cnot a big fan\u201d<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

A Republican in operative involved in Senate races added that they believed Trump just wanted to be on winning side of the runoff and he was moved to weigh in based on recent polling \u2014 and also that the president was taking an opportunity to needle Thune. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe saw the way the winds were blowing, but the f— you to Thune is an added bonus,\u201d the operative said.<\/p>\n

GOP senators worry about a competitive race<\/h2>\n

Cornyn and allies made the case that he represented the party\u2019s best chance at holding onto the Senate seat and avoiding any drag on the rest of the Republican ticket in Texas, given Paxton\u2019s personal and professional controversies.<\/p>\n

Paxton was impeached on bribery and corruption charges in 2023, though the state Senate acquitted him. Meanwhile, Paxton\u2019s wife announced last year that she was divorcing Paxton on \u201cbiblical grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered, and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we\u2019ve worked so hard to build over these many years,\u201d Cornyn said on March 3 after the runoff matchup became clear. \u201cThere is simply too much at stake in this midterm election for our state and for our country. The final two years of President Trump\u2019s agenda hangs in the balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s endorsement didn\u2019t land well with Republican senators, leaving many of them perplexed and bewildered. Even some Trump allies fretted that it would hurt the party\u2019s standing in the fall election. <\/p>\n

After Trump\u2019s endorsement Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he worries the Texas Senate race will be \u201cthree times more expensive\u201d for Republicans trying to defeat Talarico if Paxton is the nominee.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the pathway for Paxton is there, but it\u2019s more uphill,\u201d Graham told reporters.<\/p>\n

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is running in her own battleground race this year, said of Paxton, \u201cI don\u2019t understand it. He is an ethically challenged individual. John Cornyn is an outstanding senator and deserved, in my judgment, the president\u2019s support. Obviously, it\u2019s the president\u2019s call, but I\u2019m disappointed that he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a> soon after Trump made his pick.<\/p>\n

A Republican operative described the situation, and the potential competitive race in Texas, as the result of a long-term \u201cepic botch job\u201d by the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent $100 million\u201d in this primary \u201cand now we\u2019re going to have to spend more,\u201d the operative said, also raising the specter that drag from Paxton down the ticket could lead to the GOP 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 where \u201cDemocrats will smell more blood in the water and direct more money to Talarico,\u201d forcing Republicans to respond with more that could have gone into other races across the Senate battlefield.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> as candidates who could win in November. Trump called Talarico \u201cso weak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton, meanwhile, pitched himself as Trump\u2019s truest ally in the race, and his supporters were quick to liken the embattled state attorney general to the president<\/a>, who also faced two impeachments. <\/p>\n

Paxton has criticized Cornyn\u2019s work on a bipartisan gun bill <\/a>after multiple mass shootings, including one at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, as well as Cornyn\u2019s past criticisms of the president. In 2023, Cornyn said Trump\u2019s \u201ctime has passed him by,\u201d<\/a> suggesting Trump wasn\u2019t the most electable presidential candidate in 2024. He did eventually endorse Trump. Cornyn also said that the criminal charges alleging that Trump mishandled classified documents were \u201cvery serious.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Paxton has also repeatedly touted his unwavering support for Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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\u2019t 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,\u201d Paxton told his supporters on primary night.<\/p>\n

Paxton later added that it was time to send Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Trump \u201csome reinforcements\u201d in Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m running to do just that,\u201d Paxton said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate, dealing a massive political blow to longtime Sen. John Cornyn as he faces off against Paxton in an upcoming Republican primary runoff. \u201cKen is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}