HOUSTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed scandal-plagued Texas attorney general Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in a high-stakes Senate primary runoff, siding with a loyalist over the establishment conservative backed by Republican leaders.
The endorsement, delivered a week before the May 26 vote, was a blow to Cornyn, a four-term incumbent whom national Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars defending as the stronger candidate for November´s midterm election.
Paxton has survived years of controversy, including a securities fraud indictment that was eventually dismissed, a 2023 impeachment by the Republican-led Texas House and a messy divorce from state senator Angela Paxton, who accused him of adultery.
That baggage has made some Republicans nervous that Paxton could turn what should be a safe seat in deeply conservative Texas into a real opportunity for Democrats, who are hopeful of flipping the Senate.
Trump dismissed those concerns, praising Paxton on Truth Social as “a true MAGA Warrior” who had “ALWAYS delivered for Texas” and saying he had been treated unfairly but “knows how to WIN.”
By contrast, Trump called Cornyn “a good man” but faulted him for being “very late” to support his 2024 comeback campaign.
Cornyn, 74, has served in the Senate since 2003 and has leaned heavily on support from the chamber´s Republican leaders, who argue that he offers predictability in November. Paxton has cast him as a creature of Washington and emphasized his own loyalty to Trump´s agenda.
“I am incredibly honored to have President Trump´s COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT,” Paxton posted on social media.
“No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!”
Polling suggests the runoff remains tight. A University of Houston survey conducted from April 28 to May 1 put Paxton ahead of Cornyn 48 percent to 45 percent among likely Republican runoff voters, within the margin of error.
The winner will face Democrat James Talarico, a state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian who has raised large sums and argued that both Republicans represent a corrupt political system tilted toward wealthy donors.
