Cornyn hopes for President Trump endorsement after March 3rd primary during expected runoff in Texas Senate GOP contest
Republican Sen. John Cornyn told CBS News Texas that he's still seeking an endorsement from President Trump, even after recent reports that the President has no plan to do so yet.
In the interview with CBS News Texas on Thursday afternoon, Cornyn said, "My hope is he'll take another look at it after March 3, make a decision. If he doesn't, we can't wait around. We're just going to have to continue putting the pedal to the metal."
Cornyn is locked in a three-way race for the Republican nomination against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt of Houston. The four-term incumbent said he expects neither candidate to reach more than 50 percent in the March 3 primary, which will result in a runoff.
In the latest independent poll by Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media, Paxton led Cornyn by one percentage point, 27% to 26%. Hunt had 16%, while 29% were undecided. In an independent poll by co/efficient last month, Cornyn led Paxton by one percentage point, 28% to 27%. Hunt had 19% while 26% were undecided.
When asked if he was concerned about his poll numbers with early voting beginning on February 17, Cornyn said, "Obviously, we'd like to see the poll numbers continue to get better. But what's going to happen- I expect, is on March 3, we will end up with a runoff between the Attorney General and me. I don't think Congressman Hunt has a credible path to victory. I'm proud of the fact that we've been able to close the gap with the Attorney General, but I expect it to remain competitive. Unfortunately, it's going to be hard fought."
When asked if President Trump hasn't endorsed him because he is not far ahead in the polls, Cornyn said, "I don't know. I talk to the President on a regular basis and have a good relationship with him, as you've seen, work with him consistently on various things."
The veteran Senator said he is in the best position to win the general election against either of the Democrats, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and State Representative James Talarico of Austin. "If I'm the nominee, I will win by a larger margin than any of the other contestants in the Republican primary. I won by ten points in 2020.. So, the better I do, the better it will go for our congressional races. That's the business case, I call it, that I've made to President Trump."
Ad Impact Politics reports that of the nearly $59 million in advertising spent on the Texas Senate race so far, 75% of that, more than $44 million, has been on behalf of Cornyn. When asked what more can be done to boost his poll numbers, Cornyn said, "I think you pointed out that in some of these polls, as many as 29 percent are undecided or don't know. I would say they probably don't care yet.. They'll focus on the election the closer we get to the election."
He said that during non-presidential election years, only about 10-12% of registered voters vote in the primaries. "It's a narrow band of registered voters. My job is going to be to try to get more people to get out to vote in the primary and of course, the runoff."
Cornyn said his message to Republican primary voters is that he has supported the President's policies. "I supported the President 99.3 percent of the time. Most of the important legislative accomplishments of the Trump tenure in office, things like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, things like the One Big Beautiful Bill, I've been an integral part of. Of course, through all the federal judiciary that have been so important, particularly the Supreme Court of the United States, that I've helped usher across the finish line. Many people don't know that and so, we're reminding them of that."
Cornyn has blasted Congressman Hunt's missed votes in the House. "It's shameful. You can't claim to be pro-Trump and not show up for work. Mr. Hunt has become Mr. No Show." Because of the razor-thin Republican majority in the House, GOP leaders have urged Republicans to be at the Capitol to vote on bills. In an interview last week with CBS News Texas, Hunt dismissed his missed votes. "The people of Texas want a new Senator. It is my job to make sure that the people of Texas know that person is going to be me. I have now answered hundreds of questions on the campaign trail, and do you know how many questions I've got about missed votes? Zero."
Paxton hasn't participated in any interviews with local Texas reporters, and his campaign hasn't publicized his events.
Cornyn said, "I'm happy to have a debate. So far, the Attorney General has been unwilling to answer hard questions in public about his record. His record is one of corruption, betrayal of the Texas taxpayer, of his own staff who turned him into the FBI as whistleblowers and got a $6.6 million judgment against him. He's betrayed his own family. I don't know how people will think that they can trust him to be the United States Senator."
CBS News Texas has consistently requested interviews with Paxton since he entered the GOP primary last April, but he has not granted any of our requests.