President Donald Trump plans to “soon” endorse a Republican candidate in the Texas Senate primary runoff, but warned that either Senator John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton will have to drop out after he makes his decision.
After refusing to endorse a candidate in the high-stakes election, the president said on Truth Social on Wednesday that he would finally weigh in and indicated he would have the final say.
“I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!” Trump wrote.
The Republican primary in Texas has been one of the most-watched races as Cornyn, the incumbent senator who has been critical of Trump, and Paxton, the state’s attorney general who has been embroiled in several controversies, were neck-and-neck.
People familiar with Trump’s thinking told The Atlantic and NBC News that the president was leaning toward endorsing Cornyn, who performed slightly above Paxton Tuesday evening.
Allies had reportedly pressured the president into making a decision in the race, which has become the most expensive Senate primary in history.
Cornyn, who has served as the state’s senator for more than 20 years, was seen as the more likely candidate to defeat the Democratic candidate in November and maintain the Republicans’ hold in the state.
But Trump had not endorsed Cornyn because the senator has split from the party on several issues – such as showing a willingness to negotiate gun control legislation. That has led Trump to call him a “RINO” or “Republican in name only.”
But Paxton, a hard-right political figure who has attracted attention from Trump’s MAGA base, was polling well. However, Paxon has faced a series of scandals that have attracted national attention, including a Republican-led impeachment and a divorce that his wife initiated on “biblical grounds.”
Paxton was also criticized heavily by Democrats for imposing his state’s aggressive anti-abortion policies.
Tuesday evening, Cornyn secured roughly 41.9 percent of the vote while Paxton came away with 40.7 percent.
Whoever wins the Texas runoff election in May will face the new Democratic nominee, James Talarico, in the general midterm election in November. Talarico, a state lawmaker, defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary race.
