Trump Won't Save Cornyn in Tough Texas Senate Primary

"For a long time, national Republicans have been begging Donald Trump to save the bacon of the four-term incumbent senator John Cornyn with an endorsement that could fatally wrong-foot his chief challenger, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton. All along, Paxton's rationale for candidacy was that the incumbent was a RINO Establishment type instead of a MAGA zealot like himself. So designating Cornyn as the Boss's favorite might have helped him overcome the fairly regular lead Paxton has enjoyed in the polls, or at least given him a leg up in the very likely May runoff (a third candidate, Congressman Wesley Hunt, has just enough support to make it hard for anyone to win the first-round majority Texas requires)."

"But instead of giving a lifeline to the embattled Cornyn, Trump said he was fine with whatever Texas Republicans wanted to do. "I like all three of them, actually. Those are the toughest races. They've all supported me. They're all good. You're supposed to pick one, so we'll see what happens. But I support all three," the president said, per The Hill. This "all of the above" endorsement is a familiar Trump tactic for staying out of fractious Republican primaries. It also boosts his winning percentage for endorsees."

"At this point, Cornyn will have to rely on the vast fundraising efforts his friends in the Senate have undertaken on his behalf. It's given him a major financial advantage over Paxton, who has struggled to raise big money (in part because far-right oil billionaire Tim Dunn, Paxton's sugar daddy in past campaigns, is refusing to bankroll the attorney general's effort to leave Texas for Washington). Cornyn will likely need a strong primary showing to survive a runoff in which the more ideologically inclined voters (very much Paxton's base) should dominate t"

Early voting begins for Texas's March 3 primary. National Republicans sought a decisive Trump endorsement to help incumbent John Cornyn against Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, who portrays Cornyn as a RINO rather than a MAGA loyalist. A third candidate, Congressman Wesley Hunt, makes a first-round majority unlikely and raises the prospect of a May runoff. Trump declined to choose among the three, saying he supports all of them. Cornyn benefits from significant Senate-aligned fundraising, while Paxton struggles with large-donor support, increasing the likelihood that an ideologically driven runoff would favor Paxton's base.

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