Free Republic

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is returning to Longview for a fundraiser that aims low at the wallet but high on attendance. “What we’re trying to do with this event is something I don’t think, typically, has been done before,” said John Coppedge, a Longview doctor. “We wanted to have an event that was fun and afforded the opportunity for a lot more people to participate in the process.” Political fundraisers, particularly for national office candidates, tend to be those $1,000-a-plate soirées that most people just hear about. Coppedge said the one planned for Feb. 16 is designed to draw as...

One week into the Senate’s immigration floor fight, Senator John Cornyn of Texas has emerged as one of the most polarizing figures on the issue: a Republican leader from a border state brandishing a border security plan that he says is meant to salvage the measure but that is seen by others as a surreptitious attempt to scuttle it. -snip- One thing is certain: the role of Mr. Cornyn, who has snowy white hair and a visage that looks more British tea-sipper than Texas two-stepper, is sure to have ramifications for him in the Republican leadership, in the Senate itself...

Last week was an important one for the future of immigration reform. Tuesday, President Barack Obama made the issue a component of his State of the Union speech — and never mentioned the word comprehensive. Thursday, House Republicans opened their three-day retreat by unveiling a set of immigration principles that could set the foundation for legitimate immigration reform. Suddenly, there seems to be genuine momentum for a solution. Of course, we’ve heard all this before. But this time, there seems to be a recognition by Republicans that the 11 million who operate outside our laws and institutions somehow need to...

Dwayne Stovall, a Republican primary candidate for Senate, will drive across Texas to tell you he’s more conservative than Sen. John Cornyn and tighter with the tea party than Rep. Steve Stockman. A former oilfield worker and business owner from Cleveland, Texas, Stovall is one of seven primary challengers for Cornyn’s seat. With just a few weeks until the March 4 primary, he’s crisscrossing the state and reaching out online, having some success raising funds and gaining supporters. While the outspoken Stockman has claimed the title of the tea party candidate, some tea party groups are going with Stovall, who...

We recommend incumbent John Cornyn for the GOP's U.S. Senate nomination, based on unmatched experience and decades of service to Texas. The theme among a bevy of challengers seems to be that Cornyn is a CINO, a conservative in name only. This is not just counter-intuitive but counter-factual. Various ratings — liberal and conservative — have agreed on one thing, Cornyn's conservative credentials are genuine. Not conservative? Cornyn is No. 2 in Senate leadership and diverged only slightly from the conservative playbook in a year in which he offered a measure that would further beef up security at the border...

Incumbent should emulate former colleague Kay Bailey Hutchison in approach to service. For the second state election cycle in a row, a Republican primary race will be the main event in the election of a United States senator from Texas. Texas Democrats are effectively spectators, as they have been far too often since 1994. Five relative unknowns have declared to challenge the GOP winner in November. Two years ago, the retirement of veteran U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison triggered a four-person GOP campaign that eventually led to the election of dark horse Ted Cruz. In November, Cruz cruised to victory...

Sen. Mitch McConnell Tuesday referred to immigration as an “irresolvable conflict.” “I don’t see how you get to an outcome this year with the two bodies in such different places,” he said during his weekly press conference. He was referring to the fact that the Senate passed comprehensive reform, while the House is pursuing piecemeal legislation. -snip- Keep in mind, this comes on the heels of McConnell’s number two in the Senate, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, saying he was “very skeptical that anything’s going to happen between now and November” — and that: “I honestly don’t think [it] is advantageous...

Bad blood is one way to describe it. Soon that political plasma will begin to boil, as the pending 2014-midterm elections will launch a grueling two-year process to determine which major Republican faction wins control of the party. Will the grassroots or the GOP establishment prevail? The war earnestly begins in the Lone Star State less than 30 days from now. Texas Sen. John Cornyn is fighting off intra-party challenges from a crowded field of Republicans, each of whom claims the mantle of grassroots champion. Congressman Steve Stockman (R-Seabrook) is notable among the challengers. In the March 4 Texas primary,...

Comprehensive immigration reform legislation passed a significant hurdle Tuesday when the Senate voted overwhelmingly to begin consideration of the lightning-rod bill. Thirty Republicans, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), voted to take up the measure in the 84-15 vote, revealing a deep well of potential support. The vote tally was a promising sign of bipartisanship and the legislation appeared to have strong momentum after Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) predicted Tuesday that immigration reform would become law by year's end. -snip- The other GOP "yes" votes were McConnell and Sens. John Cornyn (Texas)