{"id":736,"date":"2026-05-19T20:36:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=736"},"modified":"2026-05-19T20:36:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:36:44","slug":"republican-senators-are-livid-at-trumps-endorsement-of-paxton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=736","title":{"rendered":"Republican Senators are livid at Trump\u2019s endorsement of Paxton"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>WASHINGTON &#8212; Republican senators reacted angrily Tuesday to President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to endorse Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, in the state\u2019s Senate primary runoff, warning that his snub of incumbent Sen. John Cornyn could risk the seat and the party\u2019s fight to keep its majority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=734\">US government agrees to drop tax claims against Trump in broadening of IRS lawsuit settlement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Heading into their weekly GOP luncheon not long after Trump posted his choice on social media, many Senate Republicans appeared stunned and livid as they learned the news, which dealt a serious blow to Cornyn, who has served for more than two decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cOh, boy,\u201d said a visibly dismayed Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., as he left the Senate chamber after hearing of Trump\u2019s announcement.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cWell, obviously,\u201d he added, \u201cI support Sen. Cornyn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A stone-faced Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., refused to answer questions about the endorsement as he exited the chamber following a vote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, whose independent streak has often angered the president, said she was \u201csupremely disappointed\u201d by Trump\u2019s decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Then she went a step further, saying that the president\u2019s endorsement of Paxton, a scandal-plagued conservative firebrand, could cost Republicans what had been considered a safe Senate seat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think that this puts that seat in jeopardy,\u201d she told reporters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Trump\u2019s endorsement, which came as early voting is underway in Texas, is expected to boost Paxton\u2019s odds in what has already been an expensive and bitter election.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many Senate Republicans, including the majority leader, John Thune of South Dakota, had been urging Trump to back Cornyn, whom they saw as a stronger candidate in a general election. The president\u2019s decision to do otherwise amounted to a slap at Thune, an institutionalist like Cornyn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s his decision,\u201d Thune told reporters of Trump as he entered the party luncheon at the Capitol, throwing up a hand in a gesture of exasperation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNone of us control what the president does,\u201d Thune said later. \u201cHe made his decision. That doesn\u2019t change the way I feel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Q: &#8220;How personally disappointed or frustrated are you with the president&#8217;s decision to endorse Ken Paxton today?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>.@LeaderJohnThune: &#8220;Sen. Cornyn is a principled conservative. He is a very effective senator for the state of Texas\u2026None of us control what the president does.&#8221; pic.twitter.com\/5QglYxRp1V<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CSPAN (@cspan) May 19, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The endorsement was also likely to further sour an already tense relationship between Trump and some Republican senators who have bristled at his tactics and decisions during his second term, as the GOP has deferred to him rather than insisting on the Senate\u2019s tradition of independence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=732\">LSU men\u2019s basketball tests college eligibility limits by reportedly signing two with Celtics ties<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>With just a narrow majority, Senate leaders already faced challenges muscling through many of the president\u2019s priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But they are now worried that the defeat of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., by a Trump-backed challenger last week and the president\u2019s rejection of Cornyn will further complicate their efforts to pass consequential legislation, according to two leadership aides who requested anonymity to discuss internal political considerations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Cassidy and Cornyn had engaged in political contortions to appease Trump and win his endorsement. But just days after his loss, Cassidy, whose 2021 vote to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection precipitated his break from the president, has displayed a more independent streak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Tuesday, Cassidy, who was greeted with a loud standing ovation from his fellow Republicans inside the luncheon, said that he would vote against a bill to fund immigration enforcement operations if it included security money tied to Trump\u2019s White House ballroom project.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If Cornyn were to lose his primary, Trump would face the prospect of at least three lame-duck senators more willing to buck his demands. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., decided to retire last year after Trump threatened to back a challenger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is running for reelection and has also been a thorn in Trump\u2019s side, said she was dismayed about Trump\u2019s endorsement of Paxton as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cJohn Cornyn is an outstanding senator and deserved, in my judgment, the president\u2019s support,\u201d Collins said. \u201cObviously, it\u2019s the president\u2019s call, but I\u2019m disappointed that he did it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Even Trump\u2019s most loyal allies in the Senate had concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that Trump had a right to his endorsement. But, he added, \u201cyou don\u2019t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the pathway for Paxton is there, but it\u2019s more uphill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Q: &#8220;Do you feel that the Democrats chances of winning in Texas got better today?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>.@SenSchumer: &#8220;Texas is a huge mess for Republicans, and I believe that we&#8217;re in much better shape taking back Texas than we were a few days ago.&#8221; pic.twitter.com\/M1e7MKIfGy<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CSPAN (@cspan) May 19, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Democrats have been optimistic about their chances in Texas after nominating James Talarico, a state legislator who has focused on outreach to independent voters and boasts strong fundraising numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Graham said he believed the Texas Senate race would likely become more expensive and competitive with Paxton as the nominee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=730\">In Texas, Trump made one of the dumbest political decisions of his presidencies<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhat we\u2019ve got to do is raise a lot more money now,\u201d Graham said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><i>This article originally appeared in <\/i><i>The New York Times<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many Senate Republicans appeared stunned and livid as they learned the news, which dealt a serious blow to Senator John Cornyn, who has served for more than two decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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