President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday in the GOP Senate primary against longtime Senator John Cornyn. The endorsement, published on Truth Social, comes one week before a runoff election between the two candidates.
“John Cornyn is a good man,” Trump wrote, “and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
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The president had withheld his endorsement in the race, reportedly to pressure Cornyn to support eliminating the filibuster to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. In his endorsement, Trump stated that Paxton was “a Strong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER” and the SAVE Act. Cornyn, writing in a New York Post op-ed last week, said he supported suspending the filibuster to pass the bill. Analysts saw the move as an effort to win Trump’s favor, a claim that Cornyn denied.
Paxton has a history of controversy and scandal. The Texas House of Representatives impeached him in 2023, alleging numerous misuses of power. During the trial, an extramarital affair was revealed. The Texas Senate voted to acquit Paxton.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reportedly said of Trump’s endorsement of Paxton “that this puts that seat in jeopardy.” Whichever candidate wins the Republican primary will face state Representative James Talarico (D-Austin).
