Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican Senate runoff ahead of the May 26 election.
HOUSTON – President Donald Trump announced his approval On Tuesday morning, he endorsed Ken Paxton in the closely watched Republican U.S. Senate runoff in Texas.
Trump expressed support for Paxton in a lengthy post on social media, calling the Texas attorney general “America’s number one patriot” and “a true fighter to make America great again.” The president praised Paxton for his support of conservative priorities, including eliminating the filibuster and passing the Save America Act, while contrasting him with current Sen. John Cornyn.
“I fully support Ken Paxton as the next United States Senator from the great state of Texas,” Trump wrote on social media.
The endorsement was signed ahead of the May 26 runoff election between Cornyn and Paxton.
Neither Cornyn nor Paxton received a majority in the initial vote, sending the Republican primary to a runoff. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunter also ran in the primary, but finished third and lost.
Political observers predict the runoff will be one of the most expensive and aggressive Republican races in Texas in years.
“It’s going to get ugly and it’s going to be a drag on whichever nominee ends up winning,” KHOU 11 political analyst Brendan Rottinghaus said.
Both Cornyn and Paxton have spent months highlighting their ties to Trump while trying to appeal to Republican voters in Texas.
Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, recently introduced legislation to designate U.S. Highway 287 as “Interstate 47” or the “Trump Interstate.”
“Texas is Trump country, and this bill solidifies that legacy by designating nearly 1,800 miles of open roadway from the Texas Gulf Coast to the edge of the U.S.-Canada border as Interstate 47 and forever being remembered as the Trump Interstate,” Cornyn said.
The proposed interstate would extend from Port Arthur, Texas, to Giotto, Montana.
Cornyn’s office said the legislation would help advance freight, boost economic growth, improve safety, reduce congestion and increase federal matching funds for interstate projects.
The proposal comes as Cornyn continues to try to close the polling gap with Paxton.
Paxton leads the Republican Senate race with 48 percent support, compared to Cornyn’s 45 percent, according to a recent poll from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs. Another 7% of voters surveyed said they were undecided.
The survey, conducted between April 28 and May 1, included 1,200 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percentage points.
Paxton remains popular with many Texas Republicans and has received national attention for his lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He was also acquitted in an impeachment trial in 2023 on corruption charges.
Early in the campaign, Paxton said he would consider withdrawing under certain conditions, including if Senate Republicans agreed to abandon the filibuster and pass the Save America Act, which would add stricter proof-of-citizenship requirements to vote.
The Republican nominee will advance to the November general election.
