With Texas Republicans heading to the polls Tuesday to choose their candidate for the fall U.S. Senate race, President Donald Trump is pushing hard for the candidate he endorsed, while the one he did not says he and the president get along just fine.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has waged a bitter fight to defeat incumbent Republican John Cornyn. They advanced to the Tuesday runoff by being the top two finishers in the March 3 primary, in which no candidate won an outright majority, as noted by Ballotpedia.
In that contest, Cornyn was on top with 42.5 percent of the vote, while Paxton was at 40.8 percent, about 27,000 votes behind Cornyn.
I am incredibly honored to have President Trump’s COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT.
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!
Texas, get out and VOTE! pic.twitter.com/vGcWH4ZwaD
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 19, 2026
Since then, Trump has endorsed Paxton, and on Sunday urged Texas Republicans to support him.
“TEXAS, REMEMBER! Ken Paxton was a GREAT Attorney General, probably the best in the Country. He was also very loyal to your favorite President, ME, as the Dumocrats played their ultimate game of Weaponization, and failed, BADLY!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Do you think Cornyn will defeat Ken Paxton?
“I LOVE Texas, and WON it all three times, getting, by far, the highest (A Record!) Vote in the History of that Great & Beautiful State,” he wrote.
Trump said Cornyn has failed to push hard enough on critical issues.
🚨 NOW: MAGA is less than 24 HOURS from STORMING the Texas polls to elect Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn
“Paxton’s not worried.” 🔥
“I’m gonna be the nominee. We want to focus on taking down this DEMOCRAT who has the most radical views maybe I’ve ever seen!”… pic.twitter.com/X5LpUgdo3G
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 25, 2026
“Ken’s opponent was VERY disloyal to me, as President, and didn’t fight hard enough for the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT – VOTER I.D., PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS (with exceptions for Military, Illness, Disability, or Travel!)” Trump wrote.
“What more needs to be said??? Vote for Ken Paxton on Tuesday, HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!” Trump added.
Cornyn, however, is campaigning on the premise that he and Trump can work together.
“I think it’s very different from the Cassidy and Massie situation, because I’ve been a Trump ally,” he said Sunday, according to NewsNation. Trump successfully backed candidates in the Republican primaries to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Kalshi puts Paxton odds in Texas GOP primary at 95 percenthttps://t.co/898BEvtAqJ
— The Hill (@thehill) May 25, 2026
Cornyn said that Trump “got frustrated with the Senate, not able to get what he wanted when he wanted it,” he added.
Trump “can be a pretty impatient guy” and he wanted to “send a message.” Cornyn said he backs the Trump agenda, but does not walk in lockstep with the president.
“So I’ll continue to vote in that same way, but sometimes the president needs a little help when, particularly, we’re dealing with the midterms here, where I think there’s a lot more anxiety than, perhaps, we can fully appreciate about the midterms,” he said. “And this is going to be critical to his last two years in office.”
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