Happy Trails: Cornyn Won't Campaign for Paxton

As the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico heats up, the rallying cry of state Republicans has been unity. Leaders like Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Ted Cruz have called on Republicans to unite behind Paxton after a long and intense primary battle against four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Even establishment Republican leaders in D.C. who endorsed Cornyn have come around to backing Paxton. "We have to keep Texas red, it is essential to preserving our majority in the United States Senate," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) recently. "If we lose Texas, we're in big trouble."

But hopping on the unity bus is proving a little harder for the man Paxton defeated. Senator Cornyn has recently raised suspicions about his support for Paxton, and told the Washington Examiner this week he does not intend to actively campaign for Paxton ahead of the fall elections, replying "No" to that question from a reporter, then reiterating his stance on Paxton and the general election. "Everything I've said about him in the primary is true," said Cornyn while adding he will still "support the ticket."

That lukewarm endorsement is probably the best Paxton can hope for. It matches what Cornyn said throughout the primary campaign, even as he blasted Paxton's personal scandals and warned Paxton would jeopardize Republicans' chances in November. "I've always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to so in this general election," Cornyn told supporters during his election night concession speech. He later added, "The party in the majority gets to govern, and I hope to keep my party in power for generations."

But that support will have to come from afar, since Cornyn is unlikely to be hitting the stump for the man who knocked him out of office after 24 years. Cornyn's stance toward Paxton could prove to be a factor in the race moving forward, since Cornyn garnered more than a third of Republican primary votes, and Talarico's campaign has recently targeted those Cornyn voters. In fact, a pro-Talarico Super PAC is pledging to spend tens of millions of dollars on a campaign to give GOP voters "permission to defect."

Cornyn is not defecting, but it appears his support of Paxton will come while holding his nose.