{"id":2599081,"date":"2026-05-05T16:19:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-and-cornyn-locked-in-tight-runoff-without-trump-endorsement\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:20:27","slug":"paxton-and-cornyn-locked-in-tight-runoff-without-trump-endorsement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-and-cornyn-locked-in-tight-runoff-without-trump-endorsement\/","title":{"rendered":"Paxton and Cornyn locked in tight runoff without Trump endorsement"},"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\">20<\/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-and-cornyn-locked-in-tight-runoff-without-trump-endorsement%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=2599081&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>With the Texas Senate runoff only three weeks away, the GOP contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is close. A University of Houston hobby School of Public Affairs poll finds Paxton ahead of Cornyn by 3 points-48% to 45%-a margin within the poll\u2019s \u00b12.83% error.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump has not issued an endorsement for the runoff yet, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-lifers-can-keep-winning-but-only-if-were-smart-and-steadfast\/\" title=\"Pro-Lifers Can Keep Winning But Only If We\u2019re Smart And Steadfast\">leaving voters<\/a> to decide between the two Republicans. Trump previously backed Cornyn, Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt in the earlier March 3 primary period, but since the runoff matchup was set, he has continued to tease potentially weighing in. Seven percent of GOP voters remain unsure which candidate they\u2019ll support, and party establishment figures have been urging trump to endorse Cornyn, arguing he\u2019d be the safer bet against Democratic nominee James Talarico. Still, there\u2019s speculation Trump could make an eleventh-hour decision before May 26.<\/p>\n<p>The article also notes a contrast with Kentucky, where trump endorsed Rep. Andy Barr in a Senate GOP nomination race, and that endorsement helped narrow the field as one candidate dropped out and backed Barr.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>With the runoff just three weeks away, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"253\">Texas<\/a> Senate GOP race is down to the wire between incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"965\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX) and state Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4370\">Ken Paxton<\/a> (R-TX).<\/p>\n<p>A new <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/poll\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11479\">poll<\/a> from the University of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/houston\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"714\">Houston<\/a>\u2018s Hobby School of Public Affairs shows Paxton leading Cornyn by a 3-point margin. Paxton is polling at 48% among voters likely to cast ballots in the GOP runoff election on May 26, while Cornyn is polling at 45%. The poll is within margin of error, which sits at +\/- 2.83%.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4555468\/special-election-david-scott-georgia-house-july-28\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Special election for late Rep. David Scott\u2019s Georgia House seat set for July 28<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4555400\/vance-vote-in-person-ohio-primary-2026\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance votes in person in 2026 Ohio primary after Trump\u2019s mail-in blowback<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4555408\/keep-republicans-senate-majority-top-priority-2026-byron-york\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Keeping Republicans\u2019 Senate majority is the \u2018highest priority\u2019 in 2026: Byron York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> has not yet weighed in with an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/endorsements\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1440\">endorsement<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">runoff race<\/a>, leaving Cornyn and Paxton to duke it out on their own for the Republican nomination. Ahead of the March 3 general <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/primaries\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2655\">primary election<\/a>, Trump gave a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460710\/trump-endorses-texas-republicans-leaves-out-dan-crenshaw\/\">triple-endorsement<\/a> to Cornyn, Paxton, and Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wesley-hunt\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21319\">Wesley Hunt<\/a> (R-TX). But since the runoff between Paxton and Cornyn was decided, the president has not weighed in, despite <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4480750\/gop-trump-cornyn-president-teases-decision\/\">teasing<\/a> several times that he would.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>A Trump endorsement could clear a lot of things up in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-skips-fact-checking-to-run-with-nurses-unverified-story-about-covid-patients-last-dying-words\/\" title=\"CNN Skips Fact-Checking To Run With Nurse&#039;s Unverified Story About COVID Patients &#039;Last Dying Words&#039;\">red state<\/a>, as Republican voters continue to look to the president for where to turn at the ballot box. Seven percent of voters remain unsure which candidate they will cast their ballot for in the runoff, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uh.edu\/hobby\/gop\/\">poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate Republican establishment has been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4480750\/gop-trump-cornyn-president-teases-decision\/\">urging Trump <\/a>to endorse Cornyn, arguing he would be a safer play against Democratic candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-talarico\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17710\">James Talarico<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >general election<\/a>. But Paxton, a conservative with a strong MAGA record, has remained one of Trump\u2019s most staunch defenders during his time in office.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4545790\/poll-james-talarico-pulls-ahead-john-cornyn-ken-paxton-fueling-democrats-hopes\/\">POLL: JAMES TALARICO PULLS AHEAD OF BOTH JOHN CORNYN AND KEN PAXTON, FUELING DEMOCRATS\u2019 HOPES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However, there is still hope that Trump could issue an eleventh-hour endorsement in the runoff before May 26.<\/p>\n<p>In <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kentucky\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"30\">Kentucky<\/a>, where the three-way primary for the Senate GOP nomination to replace Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"436\">Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY) became a race primed for Trump\u2019s blessing, Trump jumped in with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4552292\/trump-clears-field-andy-barr-kentucky-senate-race\/\">an endorsement for<\/a> Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/andy-barr\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5085\">Andy Barr<\/a> (R-KY) just over two weeks out from Election Day. Trump\u2019s endorsement prompted businessman Nate Morris to drop out of the race and back Barr, while former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron opted to stay in for the May 19 primary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the runoff three weeks away, Cornyn and Paxton are neck-and-neck; Paxton leads by 3 points<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2599082,"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\/04\/paxtoncornyn-collage-ywaswz78b-1775587494490.jpg?1775576668&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[22362,18466,37104,79155],"class_list":["post-2599081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cornyn","tag-paxton","tag-texas-politics","tag-us-senate-runoff"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/paxtoncornyn-collage-ywaswz78b-1775587494490.jpg?1775576668&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599081","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\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2599081"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599085,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599081\/revisions\/2599085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2599082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2599081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2599081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2599081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}