A couple Texas officials missed out on prominent political posts at the federal level this week, as President-elect Donald Trump made cabinet appointments and the Senate voted on a new majority leader.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was reportedly considered for U.S. Attorney General, a role that ultimately went to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida). Paxton’s possible appointment had sparked speculation among Texas political circles, but he was not selected.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) lost his bid to become the next Senate majority leader. In a vote held by Senate Republicans on Tuesday, Cornyn came up short against Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who will succeed Mitch McConnell as leader next year.
"He lost by five votes, 29-24, and it was simply that at the end of the day, Thune's personal connections did a better job reaching out to those final few Senators need to cross the finish line," Rice University policial science professor Mark Jones said.
Sen. Ted Cruz did not support Cornyn in his leadership bid, instead backing Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who was eliminated in the first round of voting.
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