Senate Republicans erupted in barely disguised anger in Washington this week after Donald Trump refused to endorse 20‑year Texas veteran John Cornyn and instead backed scandal‑hit challenger Ken Paxton in the state's GOP Senate runoff on 26 May. The president's surprise move on 19 May, after months of lobbying from Cornyn and his colleagues, has left senior Republicans warning that Trump and Paxton may have made it easier for Democrats to flip a seat they have pursued for decades.
Cornyn, a former member of the Senate Republican leadership, has long been considered one of the party's most influential figures on Capitol Hill. He has represented Texas in the Senate for more than two decades and, until recently, was treated as an automatic favourite to win renomination.
