{"id":2576568,"date":"2026-03-05T16:45:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T16:47:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:47:46","slug":"paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Paxton Is Doing More To Pass The SAVE Act Than Cornyn"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/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%2Fpaxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet%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=2576568&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>The Federalist reports on the Texas U.S. Senate race between Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senator John Cornyn, who are headed to a May runoff after neither won a majority. Paxton says he would consider dropping out if Congress lifts the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ballots-cast-without-proof-of-citizenship-exploded-after-lawfare-crippled-arizona-election-laws\/\" title=\"Arizona&#039;s election laws were weakened by lawfare, leading to a significant increase in ballots cast without proof of ...\">require documentary proof<\/a> of citizenship to register and voter ID to cast ballots in federal elections; the measure is portrayed as broadly popular in polling, including support from many Democrats. Paxton frames the bill as essential to President Trump\u2019s agenda, while Cornyn says he supports the legislation but is skeptical about a feasible path through the Senate and warns of potential procedural hurdles.Chip Roy publicly advocates a \u201ctalking filibuster\u201d approach that could force a 51-vote outcome if Republicans present a live quorum, while Cornyn remains cautious about weather such a tactic could succeed. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-end-of-chevron-deference-could-hurt-biden-title-ix-overhaul-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"How end of Chevron deference could hurt Biden Title IX overhaul - Washington Examiner\">article includes quotes<\/a> from Paxton and Cornyn, commentary from allies and critics, and concludes with author Brianna Lyman\u2019s bio and related election-tag links.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qzO__HorPQY\">  C-Span \/ Youtube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Paxton%20Is%20Doing%20More%20To%20Pass%20The%20SAVE%20Act%20Than%20Cornyn,%20And%20He%E2%80%99s%20Not%20Even%20In%20Congress%20Yet&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Paxton%20Is%20Doing%20More%20To%20Pass%20The%20SAVE%20Act%20Than%20Cornyn,%20And%20He%E2%80%99s%20Not%20Even%20In%20Congress%20Yet&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Paxton%20Is%20Doing%20More%20To%20Pass%20The%20SAVE%20Act%20Than%20Cornyn,%20And%20He%E2%80%99s%20Not%20Even%20In%20Congress%20Yet&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/05\/paxton-is-doing-more-to-pass-the-save-act-than-cornyn-and-hes-not-even-in-congress-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would consider dropping his senatorial bid <em>if<\/em> Congress would lift the filibuster in order to pass the SAVE America Act.<\/p>\n<p>Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn are headed to a runoff in May after neither candidate secured a majority of the vote during Tuesday&rsquo;s primary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1054579843\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register and voter ID to cast a ballot in federal elections. The legislation is overwhelmingly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/articles\/2026\/03\/another-new-poll-shows-massive-support-for-save-america-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">popular<\/a>, with polling showing roughly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/roy.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/rep-roys-save-america-act-hit-house-floor-next-week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">80 percent of Americans<\/a>&nbsp;&mdash; including a large number of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/06\/save-act-trump-congress-elections-voting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Democrats<\/a>&nbsp;&mdash; support voter ID and citizenship requirements.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I&rsquo;m committed to helping President Trump get it done,&rdquo; Paxton said Thursday in a post on X. &ldquo;I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"J0KlCq8upEW4AsGzHd3RkO6bvBcY5InxM2yaQPTUFgNVmfXowhjL1r7teiZDS\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I&#8217;m committed to helping President Trump get it done.<\/p>\n<p>I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act. <\/p>\n<p>John Cornyn&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/2029607496395239546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Paxton says, despite Cornyn being a &ldquo;coward&rdquo; who &ldquo;refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill,&rdquo; and despite Paxton&rsquo;s own record of loyalty to the president, &ldquo;For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump&rsquo;s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn responded to Paxton, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JohnCornyn\/status\/2029629641279869378?s=20\">saying<\/a> &ldquo;I support the bill and have encouraged Senate Republicans to get it done.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But while Cornyn says he backs the legislation, he has also expressed reluctance to take the necessary steps to move it through the Senate, saying &ldquo;there are a lot of questions,&rdquo; about the feasibility of the talking filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My understanding is it would require 51 votes to table amendments. So No. 1, you need 51 senators on the floor, and you need all of them willing to vote to table the amendment. That obviously can be problematic from a number of standpoints,&rdquo; Cornyn told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/top-senate-republicans-skeptical-talking-filibuster-save-america-act-rcna260834\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBC News<\/a> last week. &ldquo;One, you might not be able to defeat them. And secondly, this process could go on for literally weeks, if not months, and still not be successful.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As Matt Walsh <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MattWalshBlog\/status\/2029216597961843009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> on X, accepting the &ldquo;filibuster&rdquo; as the excuse for why Republicans aren&rsquo;t passing the SAVE America Act really means &ldquo;you&rsquo;re saying &hellip; you&rsquo;re okay with Republicans in congress never passing any conservative legislation ever again.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Republicans aren&rsquo;t getting a filibuster proof majority&hellip;So either we barrel through and advance our agenda by force, filibuster be damned, or it will never happen,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>However, Texas Rep. Chip Roy <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/16\/exclusive-chip-roy-lays-out-how-senate-can-vote-on-save-act-without-nuking-filibuster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained in a letter<\/a>&nbsp;exclusively obtained by The Federalist that the Senate does not need to nuke the filibuster entirely. Instead, Republicans could force a talking filibuster. So long as all Senate Republicans who have either co-sponsored or publicly supported the legislation show up and present a live quorum, Democrats would have to talk nonstop in order to delay a vote that would require just 51 votes to pass the legislation, rather than the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >typical 60-vote threshold filibuster<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If no one is speaking and a quorum is present, the vote on the pending business happens automatically,&rdquo; Roy explained. That means Democrats would have to talk nonstop to prevent a vote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If Republicans stick together, and the minority exhaust their opportunities to speak in opposition or give up, a final vote on passage of the bill occurs automatically at a majority threshold,&rdquo; Roy explained. <\/p>\n<p>Paxton is clearly willing to sacrifice his own Senate campaign if that&rsquo;s what it takes to get the SAVE America Act across the finish line. Meanwhile, Cornyn is already in the Senate &mdash; and apparently still hung up on why it cannot be done.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2026-midterms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2026 midterms<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election integrity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">John Cornyn<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Ken Paxton<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/primary-elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">primary elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/save-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SAVE Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/save-america-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SAVE America Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/texas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paxton would exit race if filibuster ends for SAVE Act<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2576569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-05-at-2.47.17-PM-scaled-e1772740164568-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[22362,4762,18466,34333,37104],"class_list":["post-2576568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-cornyn","tag-legislation","tag-paxton","tag-save-act","tag-texas-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-05-at-2.47.17-PM-scaled-e1772740164568-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576568","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2576568"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2576572,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576568\/revisions\/2576572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2576569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2576568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2576568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2576568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}