{"id":2570473,"date":"2026-02-16T23:21:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T04:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-withholds-endorsement-for-texas-senate-gop-primary\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T23:22:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T04:22:04","slug":"trump-withholds-endorsement-for-texas-senate-gop-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-withholds-endorsement-for-texas-senate-gop-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump withholds endorsement for Texas Senate GOP primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-withholds-endorsement-for-texas-senate-gop-primary%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570473&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>&#8211; President Donald Trump has not endorsed any candidate in Texas\u2019s Senate GOP primary, saying he hasn\u2019t decided yet and that he likes all three contenders: incumbent Sen. john Cornyn, Texas attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt. <\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A pulse Decision Science poll shows Paxton leading with about 36%, Cornyn at 27%, Hunt at 15%, and roughly 22% undecided.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Trump\u2019s reluctance to pick a candidate has frustrated GOP leaders who fear a costly three-way primary could drain resources and hurt unity in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/impossible-gop-picked-up-seats-in-house-picked-up-state-legislatures-picked-up-governorship-held-the-senate-but-sniffy-joe-won-not-a-chance\/\" title=\"IMPOSSIBLE: GOP Picked Up Seats in House, Picked Up State Legislatures, Picked Up Governorship, Held the Senate ...... But Sniffy Joe Won?... NOT A CHANCE\">general election<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Republican leaders are hoping Trump will endorse Cornyn to help consolidate support in the race.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The primary is on March 3, with early voting starting Tuesday; the winner will face either state Rep. James Talarico or Rep. Jasmine Crockett in November.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump withholds endorsement for Texas Senate GOP primary<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2497454\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> refused to endorse a candidate in the GOP primary for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\">Senate<\/a> election in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\">Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday night, the president said he hasn&rsquo;t made his choice on who he might endorse, instead praising all three.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4458307\/hochul-has-nearly-cleared-the-field-in-her-path-to-reelection\/\">Hochul has nearly cleared the field in her path to reelection<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4456871\/karrin-taylor-robson-exits-arizona-governor-race\/\">Trump-backed candidate exits Arizona governor race, setting up battle between two GOP reps<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4455055\/texas-senate-primary-cornyn-ken-paxton-gop-fears\/\">GOP leaders want Trump to endorse Cornyn in Texas Senate primary amid fears of costly fight<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I just haven&rsquo;t made a decision on that race yet. It&rsquo;s got a ways to go,&rdquo; Trump told reporters. &ldquo;I like all three of them, actually.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, en route to Washington from West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke)<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He continued, &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve all supported me, they&rsquo;re all good and you&rsquo;re supposed to pick one. So we&rsquo;ll see what happens, but I support all three.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It is a shocking lack of commitment that is sure to infuriate Texas Republicans who fear a lack of unity on the election could pose a threat to holding on to the seat.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is running for what would be an unprecedented fifth term in the state,&nbsp;is facing two formidable challengers, namely Texas Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\">Ken Paxton<\/a> and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX).<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elpasotimes.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2026\/02\/16\/texas-senate-race-ken-paxton-touts-donald-trump-ties-as-john-cornyn-steps-up-push\/88702138007\/\">Pulse Decision Science survey<\/a>, Paxton is currently polling ahead of Cornyn at approximately 36%, compared to the incumbent&rsquo;s 27%. Hunt trails with just 15% support, but <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >approximately 22% remain undecided<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Paxton began his run for the GOP nomination with a relatively low profile and less spending than Cornyn, but has kicked his campaign into high gear as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eric-greitens-and-vicky-hartzler-speak-with-the-epoch-times-as-missouri-senate-primary-approaches\/\" title=\"Eric Greitens and Vicky Hartzler Speak With The Epoch Times as Missouri Senate ... Approaches\">primary approaches<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Republican leaders have been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4455055\/texas-senate-primary-cornyn-ken-paxton-gop-fears\/\">frustrated by Trump&rsquo;s decision<\/a> not to explicitly back Cornyn over his opponents, seeking it as an unnecessary risk of making the once solidly Republican seat a real competition.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduces Brooke Rollins during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on her nomination for Secretary of Agriculture, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, fears exist that the three-way primary could be using up financial resources the party could need in the general election later this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4455055\/texas-senate-primary-cornyn-ken-paxton-gop-fears\/\">GOP LEADERS WANT TRUMP TO ENDORSE CORNYN IN TEXAS SENATE PRIMARY AMID FEARS OF COSTLY FIGHT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The winner will either face state Rep. James Talarico, a seminary student and former school teacher, or <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jasmine-crockett\/\">Rep. Jasmine Crockett<\/a> (D-TX), a fiery one-term House Democrat looking to jump into the upper chamber.<\/p>\n<p>The primary election is set to be held on March 3, but early voting will begin Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump undecided on Texas Senate primary; backs all<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2570474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/trump-endorsement-dodge-texas-gop-primary.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[13348,6203,4909,3694,3634],"class_list":["post-2570473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-endorsement","tag-gop","tag-primary","tag-texas","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/trump-endorsement-dodge-texas-gop-primary.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570473"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570477,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570473\/revisions\/2570477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}