Nervous Republicans rally behind Cornyn as they wait on Trump’s Texas pick
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President Donald Trump is signaling he will soon endorse someone in the Texas primary. Key Republican players are scrambling to make the case for incumbent John Cornyn — and hoping Trump acts fast.
"I hope it's going to be soon," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Wednesday, just hours after making his latest plea on Cornyn’s behalf to the president.
At stake is $100 million or more in Republican donor money that many in D.C. party circles believe could be burned in the 12-week runoff showdown with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who finished closely behind Cornyn in Tuesday’s GOP primary.
Beyond the money that stands to be incinerated, party operatives fear the scorched-earth campaign will give a further leg up to Democratic candidate James Talarico, the state lawmaker who won his party’s primary outright Tuesday.
In a lengthy Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump spelled out that he was mindful of a costly internecine fight.
“I will be making my Endorsement soon,” he wrote, as he called on the candidate he doesn’t endorse to “DROP OUT OF THE RACE,” stressing that Republicans must “TOTALLY FOCUS” on beating the “Radical Left Opponent.”
Cornyn’s Senate colleagues delivered a succession of public and private entreaties to the president throughout the day Wednesday.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said in an exclusive interview for POLITICO’s “The Conversation” that Cornyn was "without a doubt the candidate to win in November.” The episode is set for publication Friday.
"There's nothing more powerful than President Trump's endorsement," Britt added, speaking before she traveled to the White House for a roundtable event with Trump.
Multiple Republicans delivered a similar message directly to Trump, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the private conversations — sharing their concerns that a Senate seat that has been in GOP hands since 1961 could be at risk of flipping in November if the scandal-dogged Paxton is the top of the ticket.
Senate Republicans were told during their closed-door lunch Wednesday that Trump will soon endorse in the race, two attendees said, but not whom the president will back.
But there was a palpable sense of hope among some of Cornyn’s allies Wednesday, who believe that things are aligning in the incumbent’s favor as he appears on track to win a plurality in Tuesday’s voting.
As of Wednesday evening Cornyn led Paxton by about 25,000 votes with more than 95 percent of ballots counted, according to the Associated Press. That represented an overperformance, some Cornyn allies argued, given that several pre-election polls had him soundly trailing Paxton.
A Cornyn campaign aide said there is “new momentum” and “new support coming” after Tuesday’s results.
“The case got stronger because of …
Why resist verification?
President Donald Trump is signaling he will soon endorse someone in the Texas primary. Key Republican players are scrambling to make the case for incumbent John Cornyn — and hoping Trump acts fast.
"I hope it's going to be soon," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Wednesday, just hours after making his latest plea on Cornyn’s behalf to the president.
At stake is $100 million or more in Republican donor money that many in D.C. party circles believe could be burned in the 12-week runoff showdown with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who finished closely behind Cornyn in Tuesday’s GOP primary.
Beyond the money that stands to be incinerated, party operatives fear the scorched-earth campaign will give a further leg up to Democratic candidate James Talarico, the state lawmaker who won his party’s primary outright Tuesday.
In a lengthy Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump spelled out that he was mindful of a costly internecine fight.
“I will be making my Endorsement soon,” he wrote, as he called on the candidate he doesn’t endorse to “DROP OUT OF THE RACE,” stressing that Republicans must “TOTALLY FOCUS” on beating the “Radical Left Opponent.”
Cornyn’s Senate colleagues delivered a succession of public and private entreaties to the president throughout the day Wednesday.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said in an exclusive interview for POLITICO’s “The Conversation” that Cornyn was "without a doubt the candidate to win in November.” The episode is set for publication Friday.
"There's nothing more powerful than President Trump's endorsement," Britt added, speaking before she traveled to the White House for a roundtable event with Trump.
Multiple Republicans delivered a similar message directly to Trump, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the private conversations — sharing their concerns that a Senate seat that has been in GOP hands since 1961 could be at risk of flipping in November if the scandal-dogged Paxton is the top of the ticket.
Senate Republicans were told during their closed-door lunch Wednesday that Trump will soon endorse in the race, two attendees said, but not whom the president will back.
But there was a palpable sense of hope among some of Cornyn’s allies Wednesday, who believe that things are aligning in the incumbent’s favor as he appears on track to win a plurality in Tuesday’s voting.
As of Wednesday evening Cornyn led Paxton by about 25,000 votes with more than 95 percent of ballots counted, according to the Associated Press. That represented an overperformance, some Cornyn allies argued, given that several pre-election polls had him soundly trailing Paxton.
A Cornyn campaign aide said there is “new momentum” and “new support coming” after Tuesday’s results.
“The case got stronger because of …
Nervous Republicans rally behind Cornyn as they wait on Trump’s Texas pick
Why resist verification?
President Donald Trump is signaling he will soon endorse someone in the Texas primary. Key Republican players are scrambling to make the case for incumbent John Cornyn — and hoping Trump acts fast.
"I hope it's going to be soon," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Wednesday, just hours after making his latest plea on Cornyn’s behalf to the president.
At stake is $100 million or more in Republican donor money that many in D.C. party circles believe could be burned in the 12-week runoff showdown with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who finished closely behind Cornyn in Tuesday’s GOP primary.
Beyond the money that stands to be incinerated, party operatives fear the scorched-earth campaign will give a further leg up to Democratic candidate James Talarico, the state lawmaker who won his party’s primary outright Tuesday.
In a lengthy Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump spelled out that he was mindful of a costly internecine fight.
“I will be making my Endorsement soon,” he wrote, as he called on the candidate he doesn’t endorse to “DROP OUT OF THE RACE,” stressing that Republicans must “TOTALLY FOCUS” on beating the “Radical Left Opponent.”
Cornyn’s Senate colleagues delivered a succession of public and private entreaties to the president throughout the day Wednesday.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said in an exclusive interview for POLITICO’s “The Conversation” that Cornyn was "without a doubt the candidate to win in November.” The episode is set for publication Friday.
"There's nothing more powerful than President Trump's endorsement," Britt added, speaking before she traveled to the White House for a roundtable event with Trump.
Multiple Republicans delivered a similar message directly to Trump, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the private conversations — sharing their concerns that a Senate seat that has been in GOP hands since 1961 could be at risk of flipping in November if the scandal-dogged Paxton is the top of the ticket.
Senate Republicans were told during their closed-door lunch Wednesday that Trump will soon endorse in the race, two attendees said, but not whom the president will back.
But there was a palpable sense of hope among some of Cornyn’s allies Wednesday, who believe that things are aligning in the incumbent’s favor as he appears on track to win a plurality in Tuesday’s voting.
As of Wednesday evening Cornyn led Paxton by about 25,000 votes with more than 95 percent of ballots counted, according to the Associated Press. That represented an overperformance, some Cornyn allies argued, given that several pre-election polls had him soundly trailing Paxton.
A Cornyn campaign aide said there is “new momentum” and “new support coming” after Tuesday’s results.
“The case got stronger because of …
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