President is finally taking sides in the contentious and costly Republican Senate primary showdown in Texas between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The president on Tuesday, in a highly anticipated announcement, endorsed Paxton, a MAGA champion. The president’s extremely potent endorsement came one week before the runoff between Cornyn and Paxton in
“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in an early March primary, but since no one cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime, with the runoff election on May 26.
Trump teased his long-awaited endorsement on the grounds of his colossal ballroom, which is still under construction as the Senate mulls whether to provide hundreds of millions in security funding for the project. He decided that now was the time to endorse, after several months of staying neutral, because early voting for the next week’s runoff had opened.Â
“There are those that say whoever I endorse is going to win,” Trump said. “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.”
Cornyn or Paxton will face off in the general election against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico, who topped progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the Democrats’ primary. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.
This year’s Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine if Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls 53-47.
The president took to social media the day after the March primary to say that an endorsement would be coming soon and that he would “be asking the candidate that I dont Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”
And multiple sources at the time told Fox News and other news organizations that it was likely that Cornyn would land the president’s support.
Hours later, Paxton said that he would stay in the race for the Republican Senate nomination even if Trump endorsed Cornyn.
Asked if he would end his Senate bid if Trump backed Cornyn, and longtime Trump supporter and ally, said no in an interview with Real America’s Voice.
“Ive spent a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn because John has not represented the people of Texas well,” Paxton argued. “Hes been against Trump in both of his elections, said he shouldnt run last time. … The people of Texas, at least the Republicans, would like something different.”Â
Asked about Paxton’s comments, Trump said a day later in a Politico interview, “Well, thats bad for him to say⦠maybe that leads me to go the other direction,” the president added.
In a twist, Paxton said a few hours later that he would “consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”
The bill, formally titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would, if passed into law, require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The GOP-backed bill passed the Republican-controlled House but faces legislative roadblocks in the Senate due to opposition from Democrats.
“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 wrote in a social media post.
“For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to hel
