Cornyn counters Paxton with wave of GOP endorsements as party warns critical Texas seat at risk

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has received a slate of 18 new endorsements from Texas Republicans in the latest development in the bitter primary runoff between him and challenger state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Texas Republican congressmen Randy Weber, Nathaniel Moran and Roger Williams, influential GOP state Rep. Matt Shaheen, and former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan are among the latest lawmakers to back Cornyn over Paxton.

This primary has become increasingly bruising, with the rivals lobbing more personal attacks at each other after neither candidate achieved the 50% threshold needed to secure the GOP nomination in the March primary. Meanwhile, the stakes are high for the Republican Party, as Democrats believe candidate James Talarico, a state representative and rising star, has an opening to flip the seat for the first time in decades. Such an upset would be devastating for the GOP’s chances of retaining a majority in the upper chamber and could impact President Donald Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term.

Cornyn, a top Senate Republican who has held the seat since 2002, responded to the new endorsements by telling Fox News Digital, “I’m honored to have the endorsement of many longtime friends in Texas politics, whom I have gotten to know during our time in office and with whom I’ve been proud to work.”

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The senator said that he has “always worked hard to earn the trust of our elected officials, so we can roll up our sleeves and work together for the betterment of all Texans.”

He added that he looks forward to “continuing our important work together upon my re-election to the United States Senate.”

In total, 30 prominent Republican legislative leaders from Texas have publicly backed Cornyn, evidencing strong support for the incumbent among party leadership. He has received the support of more than 500 current and former Texas elected officials. Outside Texas, Cornyn has also received the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Border Patrol Council.

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Weber said Cornyn “has been a tireless fighter for Texas energy, standing up for our oil and gas industry and working to unleash American energy dominance.”

Weber said he is “proud” to support Cornyn “because he will continue fighting to protect our energy producers and keep Texas leading the way.”

Shaheen emphasized the importance of the GOP not losing the Senate seat in November, writing, “As someone with a Democrat challenger this November, I understand how vital it is that John Cornyn be our U.S. Senate nominee, otherwise election losses for Republicans could be disastrous.”

He emphasized that Cornyn “has never lost an election,” and said that “with him at the top of the ballot, he will defeat James Talarico and lift up Republicans in down-ballot races.” 

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Meanwhile, Paxton, who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, also has strong grassroots support. Last week, Paxton received a slate of 13 new state-level endorsements, including several prominent legislators. This brought his total number of endorsements from Texas Republican leaders to 250, a list that includes congressmen Lance Gooden and Troy Nehls. He has been endorsed by Turning Point USA and the NRA Political Victory Fund.

Fox News Digital reached out to Paxton’s campaign for comment.

After receiving the new endorsements last week, Paxton told Fox News Digital that “the momentum behind our campaign continues to grow stronger every single day.”

He said that “Texans are ready for a change and are ready to be represented by an America First warrior who is going to work tirelessly to help Texas and support President Trump,” adding, “That’s exactly what I’ve done as Attorney General, and it’s what I’ll continue to do as our next United States Senator.”

Noticeably absent from the list of supporters for either candidate is Trump, who, despite saying he likes both, has not officially endorsed. He has hinted that he would endorse “soon.”

He recently suggested that the SAVE America Act, a voting integrity bill being debated in the Senate, will play a role in his endorsement decision.

“A lot has to do with the SAVE America Act,” Trump said, according to NBC News. “A lot is going to determine — Republicans have to get that passed, because that will secure voting in this country.” 

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Cornyn, who co-sponsored an earlier version of the SAVE America Act, recently authored an opinion piece in The New York Post titled “Why the SAVE Act matters more than the filibuster.” In the piece, he advocated for passing the measure through “whatever changes to Senate rules may prove necessary.” This marks a break from his previous support for the filibuster, which many lawmakers consider a necessary guardrail against majoritarian rule.

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Cornyn argued that “the Senate rules will change eventually, whether Republicans like it or not,” and that “this leaves conservatives with two options. We can either unilaterally disarm, or we can stand and fight.”

“We can let the Democrats keep obstructing today and then smash the rules the first chance they get, or we can act now and use the mandate the American people gave this president and this Congress to secure our elections, protect our homeland and bring back common sense,” wrote Cornyn, adding, “The answer is clear: We need to stand, fight and win.”

“Democrats started this fight. Now Republicans should finish it,” said Cornyn.