The contest has reached a runoff in part because Trump declined to endorse either candidate in the primary, leaving Republican leaders frustrated as they warn that Paxton’s legal history could imperil what they regard as a safe Senate seat against Democratic nominee James Talarico in November.
Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign released a six-minute attack video Thursday targeting Attorney General Ken Paxton, opening a second round of campaigning in their Republican Senate runoff contest even as President Donald Trump has yet to announce whom he will back in the May 26 race.
The video revisits Paxton’s impeachment trial on corruption charges, which ended in an acquittal but exposed an extramarital affair, and a state securities fraud indictment that Paxton resolved through a plea deal without admitting guilt. Cornyn’s team said it is spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep the ad in front of voters, a modest initial outlay in a race that had already exceeded $110 million in spending before Tuesday’s primary.
Trump Holds Back Endorsement
Trump said Wednesday that he would weigh in on the runoff and expected whichever candidate did not receive his endorsement to drop out. He had not announced a decision by Thursday. The president previously wrote on social media that he would back a Texas candidate because the divisive contest “cannot be allowed to go on any longer.”
Cornyn narrowly finished first in Tuesday’s primary but did not cross the 50%-plus threshold required to avoid a runoff. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished third and was disqualified. Cornyn, a stalwart incumbent seeking his fifth Senate term, faces Democratic nominee James Talarico in a potential November general election.
Republican Party leaders have pressed for Cornyn and warned that Paxton’s legal history poses too great a risk for the party in November. Paxton, however, said he would not step aside.
“I’m going to give people in Texas a choice,” Paxton said, in remarks to conservative influencer Benny Johnson. “The people in Washington can have their own opinion. The president can have his own opinion.”
Paxton Sets a Condition
On social media, Paxton made a conditional offer: he said he would consider dropping out if Senate Republican leaders lifted the filibuster to pass legislation that would impose strict proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting. That measure has stalled in the Senate.
Trump appeared to view Paxton’s position as an obstacle rather than an opening.
“That is bad for him,” Trump told Politico. “So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”