Cornyn goes on offense against Paxton as Republicans await Trump’s endorsement

By THOMAS BEAUMONT

As Texas waits on President Donald Trump’s promised endorsement, Sen. John Cornyn isn’t holding back on his runoff opponent in the Republican primary.

His campaign is releasing a new video Thursday with a litany of ethical and personal accusations against state Attorney General Ken Paxton. It’s an initial salvo in a second round of campaigning that could be even more bitter and expensive than the first.

The video revisits issues like Paxton’s impeachment trial on corruption charges, which ended in an acquittal but exposed an extramarital affair, and a state fraud indictment for securities fraud, which Paxton resolved with a plea deal without admitting guilt.

Cornyn’s team said it’s spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep the video in front of voters’ eyes. It’s pocket change in a race where spending surpassed $110 million before Tuesday, but a possible foreshadowing of a future deluge if the six-minute clip is edited into television spots.

Trump did not endorse a candidate in the primary, frustrating Republicans who fear that they’re wasting time and resources in Texas that could be devoted to more competitive battleground states. The president said Wednesday that he would weigh in on the May 26 runoff and expect the candidate without his endorsement to drop out, but he hasn’t announced a decision.

Cornyn narrowly finished first in the primary that ended on Tuesday, but he did not cross the 50%-plus threshold necessary to avoid a runoff. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished third and was disqualified.

Party leaders are pushing for Cornyn, a stalwart incumbent seeking his fifth term, and warn that Paxton has too much baggage to be successful in a November general election against James Talarico, the Democratic nominee.

But Paxton has proven resilient to attacks over the years, and he’s fashioned himself as a political warrior for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. He told conservative influencer Benny Johnson that he wouldn’t drop out, no matter what happens with the endorsement.

“I’m going to give people in Texas a choice,” Paxton said. “The people in Washington can have their own opinion. The president can have his own opinion.”

Paxton made a different offer on social media. There, he said he would consider dropping out if Senate Republican leaders lifted the filibuster to pass legislation supported by Trump to create strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting. The proposal has stalled in the Senate.

Trump appeared frustrated by Paxton’s intransigence.

“That is bad for him,” he told Politico. “So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”

The president previously wrote on social media that he would endorse a Texas candidate because the divisive contest cannot “be allowed to go on any longer.”