Republicans in North Texas divided over Paxton vs. Cornyn in intense Senate race
campaign to unseat Sen. John Cornyn
.
In an interview with CBS News Texas on Wednesday, Rinaldi said, "Absolutely, I'm endorsing the attorney general. It's a no-brainer for any conservative in this race. We have Ken Paxton firmly representing the Trump wing of the Republican Party. He's going to have strong support from conservatives. You have
John Cornyn
, who's been a senator of Texas for decades, who represents the Mitch McConnell wing of the Republican Party."
Former longtime Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, a Republican, is supporting Sen. Cornyn.
"He's very conservative and he's delivered a lot," Price told CBS News Texas on Wednesday.
She said Cornyn has seniority in Washington, which Texas needs, and that he is always back home in the state.
"Cornyn, the 10 years I served, was always here," Price said. "We could pick up the phone, call him, he was incredibly responsive. He has his team reach out to the local mayors, county judges, county commissioners on a regular basis. He is here in town."
The attorney general
announced his campaign Tuesday night
on Laura Ingraham's show on Fox News Channel. He unveiled a new campaign video Wednesday that emphasizes his close ties to President Trump.
Paxton told Ingraham it's time for a new senator.
"Look, he's had 24 years of this, which I think is plenty given his lack of production," Paxton said. "It's hard to think of things he's done good for Texas or for the country."
As for Cornyn, his campaign video also focused on his record of helping pass the Trump agenda during his first term. Speaking with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, he went after Paxton.
"Mr. Paxton has a checkered background," Cornyn said. "He is a con man and a fraud, and I think the people of Texas know that, but this is what will be litigated during the course of this campaign."
When it comes to endorsements, the candidates, their supporters, Republicans, and Democrats are waiting to see whether President Trump will make an endorsement in this race.
It will be a nasty, contentious, and expensive primary battle fought over the airwaves.
Analysts say they believe Cornyn will have a fundraising advantage over Paxton. But turnout, as always, will be key.
Typically, the grassroots conservatives, many of whom are in Paxton's corner, vote in the primaries.
Rinaldi said that it favors the attorney general.
"This is an incredibly intelligent and informed electorate, and I just don't think John Cornyn's money can compete with Ken Paxton and results," Rinaldi said.
"People often times ignore primaries and say I'll vote for him in the general," Price said. "You can't vote for him just in the general. If you want to select the candidate, you have to do it in the primary, and I think this will be critical. I think people know Cornyn. They're comfortable with what he's done. The average citizen, I think, will go out and vote for him."
Watch Eye on Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming.
Follow Jack on X: @cbs11jack
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Democrats Disagree (Again). This Time, It's About School Vouchers.
Democrats are already fighting viciously among themselves over Zohran Mamdani, transgender rights, immigration, Israel and affordability. Add education to the mix. The party is debating how to respond to the increasingly muscular Republican push for private-school vouchers — most recently, a provision in President Trump's budget bill that creates the first national private-school choice program. States will have the ability to opt in or out, presenting Democratic governors with a difficult decision, and one that competing advocacy groups are trying to influence. Democrats for Education Reform, a group closely affiliated with veterans of the Obama administration, has become a leading voice urging the party to cross what has long been a red line, and embrace some forms of private-school choice — including the Trump program. D.F.E.R. has prominent allies, including Arne Duncan, Mr. Obama's former secretary of education, who is working for the group as a consultant. But its new stance in favor of vouchers is provocative within the party — so much so that two former leaders of the organization have quit and are creating a rival group that will oppose vouchers, while supporting other forms of school choice. Mr. Trump's private-school choice program is funded by a federal tax credit, and will offer families of most income levels scholarships that can be used for private-school tuition, tutoring or other education expenses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
‘It's Completely Unappealing': Why the Senate Is Broken
It has been a rough summer for the Senate. The Republicans' push to pass President Trump's big, fat bill was a contentious, exhausting odyssey that left even some in the majority bruised. There have been fierce clashes over confirmation votes, including Democrats stalking out of a Judiciary Committee hearing. And the Jeffrey Epstein drama got so spicy that the House fled town early to avoid dealing with it. While the president has been aggressively encroaching on the Senate's authority, including usurping Congress's power of the purse, the chamber's troubles long predate him. Members current and former, Republican and Democratic, say the job comes with a sense of growing frustration and declining cachet. The legislative process is a hot mess, and increasingly dominated by giant omnibus bills. Cross-aisle comity is passé. Independence and ideological heterodoxy are treated as heresy. 'The problem is that we can't get shit done,' said Tina Smith, the Minnesota Democrat who announced in February she would not seek re-election in 2026. Creative obstructionism, she told me, has become 'a fine art that has reached its apex so that the institution is nearly paralyzed.' 'It is bad — really bad,' Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, told The Times's Carl Hulse of the current mood. 'How do we get back to doing our jobs?' A more crucial question may be who still has the stomach for the job, let alone the desire. The number of senators fleeing the chamber is already above average for an election cycle, including some younger members (by Senate standards) who have announced their retirement, such as Ms. Smith; Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat; and Thom Tillis, a Republican who decided to pack it in after clashing with Mr. Trump. Two senators have announced they are pursuing the more appealing gig of governor — Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, and Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado — and others are considering following suit. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Democratic Group Calls on Blue States to Draw New House Maps
The Democratic Party's group that works on state legislative races on Monday called on Democratic-led legislatures across the country to begin their own redistricting efforts, a step that could escalate a national battle after Republican efforts to redraw the congressional maps in Texas. 'The D.L.C.C. isn't going to sit back and allow Republicans to cheat the system to keep themselves in power,' Heather Williams, the president of the group, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said in a statement. 'All options must be on the table — including Democratic state legislatures using their power to fight back and pursue redistricting mid-cycle in order to protect our democracy.' Democrats have been stepping up their efforts to counter Republicans' moves in Texas. On Sunday, Democrats in the Texas Legislature fled the state in order to break quorum and prevent Republicans from forcing through the maps this week. While the D.L.C.C. was the first arm of the national party to make such an explicit call for new maps, officials at the Democratic National Committee indicated their support. 'Democrats everywhere should be ready to fight fire with fire to combat Trump and Republicans' craven scheme to rig the maps in their favor,' Ken Martin, the chairman of the D.N.C., said in a statement. 'But to end these desperate Republican schemes for good, Democrats need to win more elections up and down the ballot, especially at the state level.' Republicans, including President Trump, have also been clear that they may look beyond Texas to other states, including Missouri, New Hampshire and Florida, to redraw more maps to benefit their party before the 2026 midterms. Congressional maps are ordinarily redrawn once a decade after the federal census. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
