President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for the U.S. Senate seat, injecting fresh momentum into one of the most closely watched GOP contests in the country.
The endorsement came on the second day of early voting in the runoff election and after months of speculation over whether Trump would formally back either candidate. Trump announced his support in a Truth Social post, praising Paxton as a steadfast ally of the MAGA movement while acknowledging his previous working relationship with Cornyn.
“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote.
Trump also addressed Cornyn directly in the statement, saying, “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
Paxton quickly embraced the endorsement, posting on X that he was “incredibly honored” to receive Trump’s “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT.”
“No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!” Paxton added.
Cornyn responded by emphasizing his record of support for Trump during both of the president’s terms in office. In a statement posted to social media, Cornyn wrote, “I have worked closely with President Trump through both of his Presidential terms and voted with him more than 99% of the time. He has consistently called me a friend in this race.”
Cornyn also framed the runoff as a critical decision for Republican voters heading into the general election.
“It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardizes everything we care about,” Cornyn stated. “I trust the Republican voters of Texas.”
The endorsement lands at a pivotal moment in the race. Paxton and Cornyn advanced to a runoff after neither candidate secured a majority in the March 3 Republican primary election. Congressman Wesley Hunt finished outside the top two and was eliminated from contention.
Early voting for the runoff began Monday and will continue through Friday, with election day scheduled for May 26.
Trump’s decision had been highly anticipated since shortly after the March primary, when he signaled that he intended to endorse in the race. On March 4, Trump said he would soon announce his preferred candidate and suggested the third-place finisher should step aside in order to conserve Republican resources for the general election battle against Democratic nominee James Talarico.
That announcement triggered an extended competition between Paxton and Cornyn to solidify their standing with Trump-aligned voters. One major flashpoint centered on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, an election integrity bill that stalled in the U.S. Senate and became a point of contention during the runoff campaign.
Despite repeated hints from Trump that he viewed both candidates favorably, the endorsement did not materialize for more than two months. Reports from Washington on Tuesday morning indicated that Trump planned to make his decision public between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Speaking before the announcement, Trump told reporters, “I’ve had my mind made up for a long time,” adding that he believed the timing was “appropriate.”
Trump also commented on the potential political impact of his backing, saying, “There are those that say whoever I endorse is going to win. I don’t know if that’s true. Historically that’s absolutely true.”
Talarico responded to the endorsement by arguing that the Republican runoff would not alter the broader dynamics of the general election campaign.
“As I said on primary night, it doesn't matter who wins this runoff,” Talarico said. “We already know who we're running against: the billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system.”
“Our movement to take back Texas for working people rises above party politics - because the biggest fight in this country is not left versus right, it's top versus bottom,” he added.
Senate Republican leadership has also acknowledged the significance of Trump’s endorsement in the runoff. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said last week that even a late endorsement from Trump could reshape the outcome because runoff voters tend to be more aligned with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.
Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has largely viewed Cornyn as the safer general election candidate from a fundraising and resource-allocation perspective. The committee invested heavily in Cornyn throughout the primary cycle, believing that supporting him early would be less costly than potentially defending Paxton in a statewide general election campaign against Talarico.
Even before Trump’s announcement, Cornyn appeared skeptical that an endorsement would arrive. Campaigning on Monday, he remarked that the possibility had likely passed, saying he believed that “ship has finally sailed.”
Despite the increasingly contentious runoff, both candidates have pledged to support the eventual Republican nominee in the general election. Paxton has gone a step further by explicitly stating he would support Cornyn by name if the senator wins the runoff.
In his endorsement message, Trump closed by reaffirming his confidence in Paxton’s political resilience.
.jpg)
