President Donald Trump thrust himself into the Texas Republican Senate runoff Wednesday, vowing to endorse one of the two finalists "soon" and declaring that whoever he does not back should immediately quit the race - a dramatic intervention that could end one of the most expensive Senate primaries in American history before its May 26 finish line.
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post the day after Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton advanced to the runoff after neither captured a majority of Tuesday's primary vote. "I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don't Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!" Trump wrote.
Axios reported Wednesday that Trump is expected to endorse Cornyn, a move that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has lobbied for over much of the past year, arguing Cornyn would be a stronger general election candidate than Paxton, whose tenure as attorney general has been shadowed by personal and legal controversy.
Cornyn finished narrowly ahead in Tuesday's primary, 42% to 41%, with Rep. Wesley Hunt a distant third. A Cornyn campaign official said Wednesday they believe "the case for Trump endorsing Cornyn got stronger" after the primary results.
The race is already the most expensive Senate primary in history, with Cornyn and allied groups spending at least $64 million on television advertising since July. Paxton began campaigning in earnest only recently but remains popular among conservative Texas Republicans.
Paxton has endured significant political baggage, including impeachment by his own party, a separate securities fraud indictment, and accusations of marital infidelity. He was acquitted in the 2023 impeachment trial. At his election night watch party, Paxton accused Cornyn of trying to "steal the election with another $100 million," but vowed to fight on.
Neither Paxton nor Cornyn had agreed at that point to drop out if they miss out on Trump's endorsement. The pro-Paxton Lone Star PAC called Cornyn a "Washington relic" and insisted he has "no viable path to the Republican nomination."
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday he would stay out of the endorsement fight entirely. "John Cornyn is a good friend of mine, Paxton is a good friend of mine," Cruz said. "I'm staying out of the race."
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democrat James Talarico, a state representative who defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Republicans view Talarico as a stronger general election opponent than Crockett.
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