SouthernWorldwide.com – Former President Donald Trump has officially endorsed Ken Paxton in the highly contested and expensive Texas Republican Senate primary, setting up a significant showdown against incumbent Senator John Cornyn.
This endorsement comes just a week before the May 26 runoff election, as neither candidate managed to secure over 50% of the vote in the initial primary.
“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump stated in a social media post, signaling his strong support for Paxton.
The president’s backing of Paxton, a prominent figure within the MAGA movement, was highly anticipated. Trump had remained neutral for several months, leading to speculation about his eventual decision.
The runoff election on May 26 will determine the Republican nominee for the Senate seat in the predominantly Republican state of Texas.
Trump announced his endorsement after early voting for the runoff had already begun, emphasizing the timing of his decision.
“There are those that say whoever I endorse is going to win,” Trump remarked. “I don’t know if that’s true, but historically, that’s absolutely true. I just don’t like to say it because I don’t like to brag.”
The winner of the Republican primary will face off against Democratic Party rising star State Representative James Talarico. Talarico secured the Democratic nomination by defeating progressive firebrand Representative Jasmine Crockett, a vocal critic of Trump.
Talarico’s campaign aims to be the first Democratic victory in a Texas Senate election in nearly four decades, a challenging feat in the conservative state.
Paxton, who has been a staunch supporter of Trump, has faced numerous scandals and legal challenges throughout his career. However, Trump’s endorsement highlighted Paxton’s fighting spirit and loyalty.
“Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN,” Trump asserted. “Our Country needs Fighters, and also Loyalty to the Cause of Greatness.”
In contrast, Trump expressed a different sentiment towards Senator Cornyn. “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough,” Trump stated.
Trump specifically pointed to Cornyn’s past criticisms of him, noting, “John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency.”
Following the March primary, Trump had teased his endorsement, indicating that the candidate he did not endorse should “immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”
Read more : Robot Rideable Looks Set to Conquer
Hours after Trump’s initial statement, Paxton declared that he would remain in the Senate race regardless of Trump’s endorsement, even if it favored Cornyn.
In an interview with Real America’s Voice, Paxton stated, “I’ve spent a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn because John has not represented the people of Texas well.” He added, “He’s been against Trump in both of his elections, said he shouldn’t run last time. … The people of Texas, at least the Republicans, would like something different.”
Trump, in response to Paxton’s comments during a Politico interview, suggested that such statements could lead him to endorse the other candidate. “Well, that’s bad for him to say… maybe that leads me to go the other direction,” the president commented.
In a surprising turn, Paxton later stated he would “consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, as it is formally known, requires proof of citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. While the bill passed the Republican-controlled House, it has faced significant opposition in the Senate.
“The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done,” Paxton posted on social media, underscoring his commitment to the bill and Trump’s agenda.
Paxton further criticized Cornyn, calling him “a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.”
The ‘Save America Act’ has yet to pass the Senate, and Trump’s endorsement did not materialize in the days and weeks following Paxton’s statement.
The Cornyn campaign and allied super PACs reportedly spent close to $100 million during the primary. These funds were used to run advertisements attacking Paxton and Republican Representative Wesley Hunt, who finished third in the primary.
Cornyn and his allies, along with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), have consistently targeted Paxton over his past controversies and legal issues.
“Over the next 12 weeks, Texas Republican primary voters will hear more about my record of delivering conservative victories in the United States Senate, and learn more about Ken’s indefensible personal behavior and failures in office,” Cornyn told reporters, emphasizing his campaign’s strategy.
“Just like the primary, we have a plan to win the runoff, and we are in the process of executing it,” Cornyn added. “Judgment day is coming for Ken Paxton.”
Paxton, known for his numerous lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, highlighted his own record during his primary night speech. “As we head into this runoff, we’re going to make the choice even clearer. While John Cornyn was cutting deals on gun control and amnesty, I was suing corrupt Joe Biden over 107 times.”
He also pointed out the financial disparity in the campaigns, stating, “John Cornyn spent around $100 million trying to buy this seat. We’ve spent around $5 million.”
In a social media post, Paxton asserted his loyalty to Trump, stating, “The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare.”
Trump, as the race entered the runoff phase, urged an end to the internal party conflict. “for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW!” he declared.
Addressing the general election, Trump identified the Democratic opponent, stating, “We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively.”
Trump’s endorsement was sought by all three candidates in the primary. He had previously referred to the race between Cornyn and Paxton as a “little race together” and “an interesting one,” calling both men “great people.”
Senate Republican leaders actively lobbied Trump to endorse Cornyn. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., expressed that an early endorsement from the president would be financially beneficial and allow the party to concentrate on the general election.
“He’s positioned to win the runoff, and if the president endorses early, it saves everybody a lot of money, and a lot of, you know, just 10 weeks of another spirited campaign on our side that keeps us from spending time focusing on the Democrats,” Thune explained.
Thune believed that Talarico would be a more challenging opponent for Republicans in the general election, suggesting that Cornyn was better positioned to win against him.
“The matchup that’s good for us is John Cornyn at the top of the ticket,” Thune stated.
The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a prominent super PAC supporting Senate Republicans, had invested millions in supporting Cornyn during the primary but remained neutral in the runoff.
While Trump maintained neutrality, his pollster, Tony Fabrizio, provided assistance to the Cornyn campaign. Additionally, Chris LaCivita, a strategist involved in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, consulted for a super PAC backing Cornyn.
Operatives and donors supporting Paxton expressed confidence in their ability to defeat the incumbent senator in the runoff.
One pro-Paxton super PAC, Lone Star Liberty, circulated a memo suggesting that Cornyn’s attacks on Paxton were not new and that his campaign had already “fired every bullet they had.” The memo argued that further attacks would yield diminishing returns.
The memo stated, “Cornyn’s talk of ‘unleashing’ new attacks in the runoff is bluster. The truth is that from day one, his forces fired every bullet they had. There are no new attacks left — only more of the same, at ever-greater cost and with ever-diminishing returns.”
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.
