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President Trump said Wednesday that “I will be making my endorsement soon” in the Texas Republican Senate race and called on the candidate he doesn’t pick to drop out. The hard-fought race between longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton is headed to a May 26 runoff.
“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!!!” Mr. Trump posted on social media.
Neither Cornyn nor Paxton managed to secure 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election, which also included Rep. Wesley Hunt. Under Texas law, they must now go to a runoff.
The race already was the most expensive Senate primary in history. As of Wednesday morning, with 98% of the vote counted, Cornyn led by less than 30,000 votes.
Whoever eventually triumphs on the Republican side will face Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, ending the contest that highlighted a divide in the Democratic Party. Talarico can begin campaigning in the general election while Paxton and Cornyn continue to duke it out in the runoff.
Mr. Trump said in his social media post that the race between Cornyn and Paxton “MUST STOP NOW!”
“We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!”
Paxton, who has been elected three times as attorney general, has long been an ally of Mr. Trump’s, but he has a scandal-plagued career, including being impeached by his own party, being indicted in a separate securities fraud case, and allegedly cheating on his now-estranged wife.
Cornyn, meanwhile, has served in Republican leadership in the Senate and has many allies there who want Mr. Trump to endorse him. The GOP’s Senate campaign arm has poured millions into Cornyn’s campaign.
Mr. Trump had previously stayed out of the race, saying he liked all three candidates. GOP sources close to the president told CBS News Wednesday morning that they expect him to weigh in ahead of the runoff.
Mr. Trump won Texas all three times he was on the ballot, and in 2024, the state delivered more votes for him than any other single state. He made endorsements in nearly every U.S. House race in Texas and many state-level races, but he opted not to weigh in only in the 2nd Congressional District, where incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw faced a primary challenger, state Rep. Steve Toth. Toth won the primary Tuesday night.
In remarks on Tuesday night, Cornyn and Paxton both continued their attacks on each other.
“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years,” Cornyn said. “Judgment Day is coming for Ken Paxton.”
Paxton, meanwhile, accused Cornyn of trying to “steal the election with another $100 million going into this Senate race, but here’s what we proved tonight: While the money may be on their side, the people are on our side.”
Texas’ other GOP senator, Sen. Ted Cruz, said Wednesday that he would not be endorsing in the race.
“John Cornyn is a good friend of mine, Paxton is a good friend of mine,” Cruz said. “I have endorsed both of them previously. I’ve campaigned with both of them previously, and as I’ve said, from the beginning of this race, I’m staying out of the race. I trust the voters in Texas. We’re going to have a runoff. It will be vigorously contested, and the people of Texas will decide.”
