Last summer, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is “a real Republican” who is trying to make it appear he is a MAGA Republican in order to keep his seat.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who later lost the Democrat primary for Cornyn’s seat to James Talarico this Tuesday, stated the following during an August television appearance:
Now listen, I’m about to tell all of MSNBC a secret. I actually don’t hate Senator Cornyn at all. And right now, what we have is a Senator who actually is a real Republican who’s doing everything that he can to make it seem like he’s a MAGA Republican so that he can get through his primary.
But Senator Cornyn, this is not him. This is somebody that sat on our Supreme Court in the state of Texas. This is somebody who typically works in a very bipartisan way, unlike Senator Cruz.
This is somebody who is literally doing everything that he can to hopefully get some of that Maga base. And so Senator Cornyn knows that the FBI can’t get involved, and ain’t gonna get involved, as it relates to some little civil situation that was signed off on by the Speaker of the Texas House, but the MAGA base won’t know that.
Crockett’s remarks have resurfaced as Cornyn is in the middle of a Republican primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Neither candidate secured a majority in the March 3 Republican primary, sending the race to a May 26 runoff.
Cornyn received roughly 42 percent of the vote, narrowly leading Paxton, who drew about 41 percent. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) finished third with about 14 percent of the vote, leaving hundreds of thousands of voters up for grabs in the runoff.
Cornyn and his allies spent tens of millions of dollars backing the incumbent senator and attacking his opponents, helping make the Texas primary the most expensive Senate primary in history. Estimates cited spending of roughly $69 million to $71 million on Cornyn’s behalf compared to about $4 million spent supporting Paxton.
Cornyn’s political record has become a point of debate in the campaign. Previous comments by the senator include him saying Republicans “need someone as an alternative” to President Donald Trump and arguing Trump could struggle to win a general election. Cornyn also defended legal proceedings against Trump, asserting in response to special counsel Jack Smith’s document retention case that Trump had “created a circumstance for himself” and that the matter was “very, very serious.” Cornyn has also criticized aspects of Trump’s agenda in the past, including describing the idea of a border wall as “naïve” and supporting bipartisan gun control legislation that President Joe Biden called the “most significant gun legislation” in decades.
Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) that backed Cornyn, issued a sharply worded statement after the primary attacking Rep. Wesley Hunt following his third-place finish.
“Congratulations to Wesley Hunt on an abysmal third place finish in Texas’ Republican primary,” Latcham remarked. “Instead of fighting for President Trump and conservative priorities, Wesley launched a career-ending vanity tour without any substance or political reasoning. While Wesley’s amateur consultants got wealthy on his senseless campaign, Republican voters are now forced to endure an even longer primary runoff election.”
The statement angered many Texans and conservatives nationwide, as Hunt received nearly 290,000 votes in the primary — more than 11 times the roughly 25,000-vote margin between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — leaving his supporters positioned to play a significant role in the May 26 runoff.
President Donald Trump has not yet endorsed in the runoff but said he plans to make a decision soon, indicating he wants the SAVE America Act — legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote — on his desk before issuing an endorsement.
Paxton has tied his position in the race to the legislation. In a post on X, Paxton wrote, “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. I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”
He also took aim at Cornyn over the issue, writing, “John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill,” and adding that “Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation.”
Trump has commented on both candidates while withholding an endorsement in the runoff. After the primary results, Trump described Cornyn as “a very underrated person,” noting he was expected to lose by a wide margin but instead performed strongly. At the same time, Trump pointed to Paxton’s support for the SAVE Act and indicated frustration that the legislation has not advanced in the Senate, saying he is “not happy it’s not moving” and that he has “expressed that to everyone.”
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