Republicans hold their breath and hope for a quick Trump endorsement in Texas
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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
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Republicans hold their breath and hope for a quick Trump endorsement in Texas John Cornyn and his allies are trying to turn a surprising lead over firebrand Ken Paxton into a decisive presidential nod. Cornyn kept mum as he arrived at the Capitol Wednesday evening. | Francis Chung/POLITICO By Jordain Carney , Alex Gangitano and Liz Crampton 03/04/2026 06:38 PM EST 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 fo...
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