Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday he would consider dropping out of the Republican U.S. Senate runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn - but only if Senate Republicans eliminate the filibuster and pass a sweeping federal voter ID measure.
Paxton made the offer in a social media post that also criticized Cornyn for refusing to support scrapping the filibuster to pass the bill, known as the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require people to provide proof of citizenship - such as a birth certificate or passport - when registering to vote, and present photo identification at the polls.
The announcement came the same day Paxton said he would stay in the race even if President Donald Trump endorses Cornyn. In the post, Paxton wrote: "The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I'm committed to helping President Trump get it done. I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act."
Paxton placed a close second in Tuesday's primary against Cornyn and Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. The results forced a May 26 runoff. Cornyn edged out Paxton 41.9% to 40.7%, with Hunt capturing more than 13% - enough to deny either candidate the outright majority needed to win.
Cornyn supports the SAVE America Act but has long resisted eliminating the filibuster, the parliamentary tool that in practice requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. He responded to Paxton's post by saying he supports the bill and has encouraged Republicans to get it done, without addressing the filibuster demand.
Paxton's conditions were quickly dismissed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. "You guys know where the votes are on the filibuster. That's not going to happen," Thune told reporters Thursday.
The offer appeared designed to make a political point by spotlighting Cornyn's reluctance to kill the filibuster, rather than signal a genuine intent to leave the race. It marked the first time Paxton raised the prospect of exiting amid intense lobbying by Senate GOP leaders for Trump to endorse Cornyn.
Paxton's defiance appeared to irk Trump, who told Politico Thursday, "That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction." Trump had previously announced he would endorse one of the two candidates "soon" and expected the other to immediately drop out.
The SAVE America Act has passed the House but has stalled in the Senate, where Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The Democratic nominee for the seat is state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, who won his primary Tuesday.
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