President Trump allowed the deadline for candidates to drop out to pass Tuesday without making an endorsement in the hotly contested Republican Texas Senate primary runoff race.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking on incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the May 26 runoff, after neither candidate received 50% of the vote in the primary earlier this month.
Trump had previously said he would ask whichever candidate did not receive his endorsement to drop out of the race.
“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?” the president wrote in a March 4 Truth Social post.
In his post, Trump argued the bruising GOP primary “must stop now” so the party could “totally focus” on defeating Democrat James Talarico in the November general election.
Cornyn and Paxton had until 5 p.m. local time Tuesday to withdraw and call off the runoff.
A candidate could still opt to end their campaign if Trump endorses their opponent – but the candidate’s name would stay on runoff election ballots.
Paxton has said he would be willing to drop out if Senate Republicans agreed to roll back the filibuster and pass the president’s prized SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
The state attorney general argued “no one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me” – and called Cornyn “a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster” to pass the SAVE America Act – in the March 5 X post where he indicated he was open to ending his campaign.
Days later, in an op-ed published by The Post, Cornyn announced his support for scrapping the Senate filibuster to pass the Trump-backed voter ID bill.
The senator had long defended the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation in the upper chamber but noted, “when the reality on the ground changes, leaders must take stock and adapt.”
Cornyn called for his colleagues to adopt “whatever changes … may prove necessary” to pass the Save America Act, as well as a separate bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security.
The reversal has not yet resulted in a Trump endorsement.
Shortly after the March 3 primary, speculation swirled that Trump was on the verge of endorsing Cornyn. The president was reportedly agitated by the leaks and did not give anyone his seal of approval.
Debate on the SAVE America Act commenced in the Senate earlier Tuesday.
Paxton argued Cornyn should be held responsible if the bill doesn’t pass.
“If the Save America Act fails, it will be because John Cornyn refused to truly fight to get it done,” Paxton said in a statement, according to NBC News. “He’s campaigned on being Mr. Effective in the Swamp, and it’s time for him to put his money where his mouth is.”
Trump signaled in an interview with the outlet that he thinks both Cornyn and Paxton could beat Talarico in November.
