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Trump leaned toward endorsing Cornyn. Then the leaks started — and Paxton made a ‘genius move’
CNN ^ | March 11 | Alayna Treene

Posted on 03/11/2026 5:12:16 PM PDT by RandFan

President Donald Trump was gravitating toward endorsing Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn last week. But he and some top advisers grew frustrated after his intentions leaked to the press, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, and the plan stalled.

Then Cornyn’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, announced on Friday that if the Senate passed the president’s voting restrictions bill — something Trump has grown particularly fixated on in recent weeks — he would consider dropping out of the runoff race. Paxton specified the GOP should lift the filibuster to do so, an idea many Republican senators oppose.

White House officials viewed the ploy as a “genius move,” as one Trump official described it, and it kept Paxton in the mix, at least temporarily. Now, Trump has latched onto the idea of tying his endorsement to the passage of his high-priority “SAVE America Act” — which, among other things, would impose new voter ID requirements.

That’s a significant headache for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who sees a Cornyn primary win as an important pillar of keeping the GOP’s Senate majority, and for the larger party, which has already seen around $100 million sunk into a bruising primary campaign before the contentious, 12-week runoff has even started.

(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Conspiracy
KEYWORDS: 123oclock4oclockzot; certainlynotnews; clintonnonnews; cnn; comeonzottrolls; cornhole; crookedpaxton; kaitlancollins; makeadulterygr8again; maketrollzotsgreat; multiplenicks; randpaulsucks; randspam; senate; texas
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To: 22for22

Reduce the Voting Rights bill to a single provision - photo ID.


21 posted on 03/12/2026 5:45:29 AM PDT by phil00071
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To: Carry_Okie

My bad if you read it that way.

I don’t consider Gabbard as one of his “inner” circle of advisors which was implied by the article.

My feelings about Gabbard are expressed in this comment.

Trump reportedly asked donors to pick between Vance and Rubio: Here’s what prediction markets say
3/11/2026, 8:33:59 AM · 85 of 133
Biblebelter to vivenne


22 posted on 03/12/2026 6:17:18 AM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: Biblebelter

To your observations, I agree with regard to the behavior of both men as Senators, but I think them both young enough then to have grown while working for Trump. But you’re right to be suspicious.


23 posted on 03/12/2026 6:36:55 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: RandFan

The filibuster will end if Dems takeover. It would have already been gone if Kamala won. At this point might as well pack as much as we can in to the next months.


24 posted on 03/12/2026 9:20:25 AM PDT by 3RIVRS
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To: Sarah Barracuda
I've said it before and I'll say it again - "If they do get enough votes I am sure that there’s another RINO senator willing to block passage in Cornyn’s place.”

Cornyn and his clique are a bunch of snakes in the grass. In most parts of Texas we know how to deal with snakes when we see them.

Promising Cornyn a pass if he votes for something is a shell game. Where's the vote, find the vote, win a prize....

25 posted on 03/12/2026 9:29:17 AM PDT by Semper Vigilantis (What's the difference between a Libertarian and a Liberal? The spelling.)
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To: 3RIVRS

The filibuster will end if Dems takeover.

- - - - - - -

I don’t think the Dems will end the filibuster while a Republican is President. It won’t be useful to them because the Republican President could veto their bills.


26 posted on 03/12/2026 11:43:15 AM PDT by TTFX
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To: paudio

Cornyn MUST not be re-elected!


27 posted on 03/12/2026 8:49:49 PM PDT by Taxman (We will never be a truly free people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS. )
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To: paudio

Cornyn MUST not be re-elected!


28 posted on 03/12/2026 8:49:49 PM PDT by Taxman (We will never be a truly free people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS. )
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To: TTFX

Taking bets? They will drop it, ram through all of their priorities and make Trump veto them before 2028.


29 posted on 03/13/2026 10:19:21 AM PDT by 3RIVRS
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