Free Republic

The already heated Texas Senate primary just got a major shakeup after longtime Republican power broker Karl Rove publicly backed incumbent Sen. John Cornyn—a move many grassroots conservatives say perfectly captures everything wrong with the GOP establishment. Rather than helping Cornyn, the endorsement is being widely interpreted by America First activists as a political liability that could strengthen Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race. The development came after the endorsement became public on social media, with observers noting that Rove’s support for Cornyn may actually energize conservative voters who have grown deeply distrustful of the Republican establishment. Establishment...

Establishment Republican Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) appeared visibly rattled when confronted by a conservative reporter about his record opposing key elements of President Donald Trump’s agenda. During a tense exchange with journalist Alison Steinberg, Cornyn was asked why Trump should back him in the ongoing Texas Republican Senate race given his long history of clashes with the America First movement. Rather than directly addressing the question, Cornyn attempted to dismiss the reporter and accused her of working for one of his political rivals. Steinberg asked Cornyn what he would say to voters questioning his alignment with Trump’s policies. “What do...

The scenario long-dreaded by Republican strategists looks increasingly plausible following Tuesday’s primary election in Texas: Democrat James Talarico may face Republican Ken Paxton for the state’s U.S. Senate seat in November. Paxton is heading for a runoff against Sen. John Cornyn where he is likely to be at least a slight favorite, though the final results from the first round of voting could shift expectations. Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, according to Associated Press projections. Republicans fear the matchup could, at the very least, cost the party tens of millions of dollars to protect Paxton, the...

Republican Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) blew up at an NBC News crew that attempted to ask him a question on an apparent flip-flop in his views. Cornyn wrote an op-ed for the New York Post in which he claimed to support “whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary for us to get the ‘SAVE America Act’ (passed) and homeland security funding.” SNIP The Senator then placed his hand over the NBC camera lens, ending the interview.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), battling a runoff challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), is touting support for his Senate campaign from pastors who are signatories of the Evangelical Immigration Table, a group linked to George and Alex Soros’s Open Society Foundations, and which has a record of backing amnesty for illegal aliens living in the United States. This week, Cornyn rolled out his campaign’s Faith Advisory Council, which comprises five pastors across Texas. Among those pastors are Max Lucado of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Dr. Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, and Dr. Gus...

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, reversed himself on the Senate filibuster Wednesday after years of unflinching support for the 60-vote threshold to pass most bills. Now, locked in a competitive Republican runoff for his Senate seat and eyeing President Donald Trump's endorsement, Cornyn says he'll support "whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary" to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election overhaul bill that Trump has called his No. 1 priority. Cornyn's comments are part of an op-ed he wrote in the New York Post published Wednesday, titled: "Why the SAVE Act matters more than the filibuster." The...

Some of the first polling of the general election race for U.S. Senate in Texas showed that the Democratic candidate has the lead over both Republicans vying for the seat. Texas state Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic Party’s nomination during last week’s primary. However, the Republicans running for the office – incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – are preparing for a May runoff after neither of them cracked the 50% threshold during the primary. The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling between March 4 and 5 and asked respondents questions ranging from the...

Just got a call from a Senate staffer. GOP leadership can't allow the disclosure of sex harassment settlements right now. The reason? It would harm John Cornyn. I'm told: that particular settlement was paid to another man.

Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) record is receiving increased scrutiny as the Washington establishment spends tens of millions to save the embattled incumbent from a grassroots challenge by MAGA-aligned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn and his allies spent a staggering $70 million in the primary to paint the four-term career politician as a friend of President Donald Trump with a conservative record – spending that made the Texas Republican Senate primary the most expensive primary in the nation’s history. But those Washington consultant-crafted ads hide that Cornyn has spent nearly a decade working to stop President Donald Trump and more...

@TheNatPulse 🔴 WATCH: Archived Senate footage shows John Cornyn peddling the Russia hoax.

President Donald Trump on Thursday brushed off Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton’s insistence that he will stay in the Republican U.S. Senate race even if Trump endorses his rival, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. After Paxton said he won’t drop out of the May 26 runoff, the president reportedly suggested Paxton’s defiance could backfire by nudging him to support Cornyn.

President Trump’s political advisers expect him to endorse Senator John Cornyn in Texas’s May 26 Republican-primary runoff election following the incumbent’s better-than-expected finish against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the first round of voting yesterday, three people briefed on the deliberations told us. Trump declined to get involved in the race before the first round of voting, and Republican Senate strategists had been worried that he wouldn’t endorse Cornyn, who has been critical of the president in the past. Strategists have also warned that Paxton, a scandal-scarred favorite of Trump’s MAGA base, would need more money from top GOP...

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday that Republicans need to find an alternative to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential election, saying the party needs "a candidate who can actually win." "I think President Trump’s time has passed him by," Cornyn said when asked about the 2024 Republican presidential primary, which is still taking shape. "I don’t think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to deliver a swift endorsement of Texas Sen. John Cornyn to potentially forestall what is widely expected to be an expensive and nasty primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Thune told reporters he hasn’t yet spoken to Trump since the election returns from Tuesday’s primary came in but indicated he intends to personally redouble his efforts, saying Wednesday that “hopefully” the president will give Cornyn his influential nod. “[If] Trump endorses early, it saves everybody a lot of money, and … 10 weeks of a spirited campaign...

The competitive Republican primary for Senate in Texas is headed to a runoff, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection. The race will head to a May 26 showdown between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as Republicans scramble to keep the seat in GOP hands. Neither Cornyn nor Paxton won the 50 percent-plus-one support they needed to avoid a runoff against a third competitor, Rep. Wesley Hunt, who was pulling in double-digit support in polls ahead of the race. Polls had also shown Paxton with a slight lead. The upcoming runoff will pit the four-term...

Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) isn’t just leading in the Texas Democrat U.S. Senate primary anymore. She’s pulling away, and she’s doing it as early voting is already underway. The latest statewide survey, conducted Feb. 2 through Feb. 16 among likely Democrat primary voters, shows the Dallas congresswoman expanding her edge over state Rep. James Talarico. Early voting began Feb. 17 and runs through Feb. 27 ahead of the March primary, which means this shift is happening while ballots are being cast. “Crockett leads Talarico 56 percent to 44 percent among likely Democratic primary voters statewide.” Twelve points. That is...

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has been one of the most consistent Republican defenders of the EB-5 investor visa program over the past several years — advocating for its reauthorization, intervening in its implementation, and signaling support for preserving it even amid President Donald Trump’s proposed “Gold Card” alternative. During much of that same period, Cornyn’s daughter, Haley Cornyn, worked at Greenberg Traurig, a global law and lobbying firm that has structured billions of dollars in EB-5 investment deals and lobbied on matters related to the program. The overlap between Cornyn’s legislative advocacy and the financial interests of his daughter’s employer...

Showdown Career Politician on the Ropes as Grassroots Conservatives Demand New Blood Cornyn Flooded With Swamp Cash While Texas Voters Ask: What Has He Actually Delivered? Texas Republicans are sending a clear message: they’re tired of Washington insiders who talk conservative at home but cut deals behind closed doors. After more than two decades in the U.S. Senate, John Cornyn is facing the political fight of his career — and this time, it’s coming from within his own party. Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt are crisscrossing the Lone Star State, hammering Cornyn as the embodiment of the...

Trump on Monday declined to make an endorsement in the primary, telling reporters, “They’ve all supported me, they’re all good and you’re supposed to pick one. So we’ll see what happens, but I support all three.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has a clear lead in the Lone Star State’s Senate Republican primary over incumbent John Cornyn — putting the two on a collision course for a May runoff, according to a new poll commissioned by Paxton’s principal campaign committee. The Pulse Decision Science survey found that 36% of likely GOP primary voters support Paxton, 27% back Cornyn and 15% prefer Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas). Another 22% said they were undecided about who to support.Early voting for the March 3 primary starts next week, with a runoff between the top two candidates set for May 26...