Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said he would consider dropping out of the Texas Republican Senate primary runoff if the Senate lifts the filibuster to pass the voter ID bill called the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Paxton set conditions on what it would take for him to consider withdrawing from the Texas Republican Senate primary runoff after President Donald Trump suggested he was not happy Paxton planned to remain in the race even if the president endorsed Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
Paxton and Cornyn advanced to the runoff on Tuesday after they both bested Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) in the primary.
A very thin margin separated the candidates, with Cornyn pulling 42 percent of support and Paxton drawing 41 percent. Hunt garnered 14 percent of GOP primary voters, who are now up for grabs heading into the May 26 runoff.
On Wednesday, in a Truth Social post, Trump announced that he would soon make an endorsement between Paxton and Cornyn and that he wants the candidate who does not receive his nod to bow out.
“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? We must win in November!!!” Trump wrote.
But Paxton said he would not drop out if Trump endorsed Cornyn, as Politico noted.
Trump told Politico in an interview on Thursday that Paxton’s response was “bad for him to say.”
“Well, that’s bad for him to say,” Trump said. “That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”
Later Thursday, Paxton set conditions on what it would take for him to drop out, including the Senate doing away with the filibuster.
“The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done,” Paxton wrote in a post on X. “I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”
He also blasted Cornyn as “a coward.”
“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill,” he wrote. “Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation.”
“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me — fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” he added.
“For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done,” Paxton concluded.
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