After $100M Cornyn mistake, stop fighting the base and start passing Trump's agena

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The Washington Times

$100 million Cornyn mistake backfires in Texas
Party insiders should stop fighting the base and start passing Trump's agenda
By Kelly Sadler
May 28, 2026

The Republican establishment burned through more than $100 million in its bid to defeat Ken Paxton in Texas’ GOP Senate primary — only to find out sometimes money is not enough.

The state’s senior senator, John Cornyn, was the preferred choice of party insiders and donors, who spent about $128 million worth of ads as of Monday evening in his direction, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact

But all of that money and effort was for naught, as Mr. Paxton, the state’s attorney general, blew out Mr. Cornyn by more than 25 points in Tuesday’s election.

It was the most expensive Senate primary in history, and one of the biggest mistakes of party insiders. Now, the national coffers are depleted for GOP candidates seeking to win in Maine, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia.

The worst part? Mr. Cornyn’s defeat was highly predictable more than a year ago, but instead of listening to its base voters, the Republican establishment decided to buck them, blowing through the party’s cash.
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If there are any lessons to be learned, it’s for Senate Republicans to return next week, cancel some of their planned vacation time and pass a reconciliation bill, which includes funding for Mr. Trump’s ballroom and the SAVE America Act, which will secure American elections.

Instead, The New York Times reports, GOP senators are bitter at Mr. Cornyn’s loss, viewing Mr. Trump’s endorsement of Mr. Paxton “as a move to punish a senator whom Mr. Trump deemed insufficiently loyal, an insult to the institution and a self-serving political mistake that put his party’s hold on the Senate at risk.”
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That’s clearly the wrong read on the situation. GOP voters want senators who do their bidding, not the other way around. Mr. Paxton was on the trajectory to win the primary with or without Mr. Trump’s endorsement. Mr. Paxton will also win the general in November as his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, is far from palatable for Lone Star State voters.
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Now, it’s time for senators to do the people’s bidding — or they, too, will face ouster.

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