Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has no intention to campaign for his fellow Republican, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the heated Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.Cornyn offered an unequivocal “No” to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday when asked whether he would actively campaign for Paxton after being ousted by the Trump-endorsed candidate in the Republican primary. Still, the fourth-term incumbent confirmed he’ll vote for Paxton.“Everything I’ve said about him in the primary is true,” Cornyn said, while reaffirming he will “support the ticket.”
The Washington Examiner contacted the Paxton campaign for comment.
Throughout the bitterly divided primary, Cornyn referred to Paxton as a “con man,” a “fraud,” and a “flawed, self-centered, and shameless candidate.” But until now, Cornyn has been vague about his level of involvement with Paxton, beyond backing his party’s nominee. His refusal to stump for Paxton, beyond casting a ballot for him, reveals the extent of the bad blood between the Lone Star State Republicans and presents a lingering point of contention that could undermine Paxton’s efforts to win over Cornyn voters as Talarico also courts them.
Leadership-aligned Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), aggressively favored Cornyn. Since Paxton’s win, they’ve moved behind the attorney general in what could be the most expensive Senate race in the country. The contest favors the GOP as a “lean Republican” seat, but Democrats are prepared to spend heavily to boost Talarico. A Talarico win could help Democrats take control of the chamber.
