{"id":2646447,"date":"2026-08-18T10:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-swamp-is-local-cornyn-staffers-defection-to-talarico-reveals-why-conservatives-are-constantly-betrayed\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T11:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:00:13","slug":"the-swamp-is-local-cornyn-staffers-defection-to-talarico-reveals-why-conservatives-are-constantly-betrayed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-swamp-is-local-cornyn-staffers-defection-to-talarico-reveals-why-conservatives-are-constantly-betrayed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Swamp is Local: Cornyn Staffer&#8217;s Defection to Talarico Reveals Why Conservatives are Constantly Betrayed"},"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\">30<\/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%2Fthe-swamp-is-local-cornyn-staffers-defection-to-talarico-reveals-why-conservatives-are-constantly-betrayed%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=2646447&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 content discusses political issues related to the perceived corruption and dishonesty within the Republican Party, using Texas Senator John Cornyn as a case study. It highlights how a staffer, Jacob Smith, who previously worked for Cornyn and other Republicans, left to join Democratic candidate James Talarico\u2019s campaign, signaling a systemic problem of betrayal and disillusionment among GOP officials. The article criticizes the party\u2019s failure to vet candidates effectively, which allows questionable figures to remain in office and contribute to the \u201cswamp\u201d-a metaphor for corruption and self-interest in politics. It underscores that many elected officials, despite campaign promises, often prioritize personal or party interests over genuine service to constituents. The piece advocates for reform in local elections and increased scrutiny of candidates to restore integrity and trust in government.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>When most of us think about the swamp, we think of Washington parties, congressional office banter, and bureaucrats who think we\u2019re all rubes.<\/p>\n<p>But a major defection from Texas Sen. John Cornyn\u2019s staff proves that the swamp isn\u2019t all that far away, especially if you\u2019re a Republican voter.<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t any single person\u2019s fault, but on the right, we generally don\u2019t elect people who represent our best interests.<\/p>\n<p>Red state liberals have gotten into politics as Republicans for years, and they\u2019re good at telling people what they want to hear.<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn was one of those people, and thankfully, after two decades, voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-ken-paxton-defeated-john-cornyn-tx-gop-senate-primary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">threw him out of office<\/a> during May\u2019s primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to kick him to the curb looks better than ever this week after Cornyn staffer Jacob Smith left his job with the veteran Republican lawmaker to work with Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico in the role of deputy policy director.<\/p>\n<p>Smith didn\u2019t just work for Cornyn, either. He worked for other Republicans, too, per a report from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/campaigns\/james-talarico-cornyn-staffer-texas-senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NOTUS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He worked for Cornyn for five years as a deputy legislative director and previously worked on the House Science Committee for Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma. He was also a legislative aide for Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">News: James Talarico poached Sen. John Corny\u2019s deputy legislative director, Jacob Smith.<\/p>\n<p>Smith is now working for Talarico\u2019s campaign after years working in DC for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>W\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/alweaver22?\">@alweaver22<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/igorbobic?\">@igorbobic<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jdg1K7Trdo\">https:\/\/t.co\/jdg1K7Trdo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/reesejgorman\/status\/2089472655543926981?\">August 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>What was a man who could so easily abandon the conservative movement for a dishonest, radical leftist like Talarico ever doing on any GOP congressional staff?<\/p>\n<p>The answer lies with the Senate GOP and many in the House. These are people who, in many cases, run one dishonest campaign and then coast on name recognition for decades.<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/06\/22\/2026\/the-president-seems-to-revel-in-chaos-cornyn-goes-his-own-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pretended<\/a> to represent Texas for decades, and what was behind the facade?<\/p>\n<p>His legacy is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gop-senator-backing-gun-control-gets-nasty-surprise-taking-stage-front-angry-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gun control legislation<\/a> and hiring people like Smith.<\/p>\n<p>I can point to a U.S. map and see more people just like Cornyn representing millions of good, God-fearing taxpayers nationwide, and you most certainly can, too.<\/p>\n<p>The list of honest conservatives serving the people who elected them in the Senate is small.<\/p>\n<p>That is why the GOP won\u2019t use its Senate majority to pass the SAVE Act and doesn\u2019t care about your children or their future. That is why they get nothing done.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not because the system is broken in Washington. It\u2019s because the primary system is broken, and there isn\u2019t enough vetting going on in local elections.<\/p>\n<p>There is definitely a swamp, and it\u2019s filled with the scum that trickles in from state capitals nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>The swamp is closer to home than most people could possibly imagine, and it\u2019s full of people like Cornyn and Smith.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, by the way, issued the following statement that was reported by NOTUS:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cI\u2019ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I\u2019m proud to be joining James Talarico\u2019s campaign. Instead of playing partisan politics, Talarico speaks to the needs of everyday people who day in and day out work too hard for too little.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>In the Senate, James will fight to lower costs for all 31 million Texans, whether they\u2019re Republicans, Democrats, or independents, so that Texans of all ages have a fighting chance at the American Dream of starting a family, owning a home, and leaving a little behind for their children.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>What was it about Cornyn that kept Smith from quitting a long time ago, especially if he could work for a man like Talarico?<\/p>\n<p>The answer is there.<\/p>\n<p>This is about more than one defection of one rogue GOP staffer in Texas.<\/p>\n<p>This is a systemic issue in Republican Party politics.<\/p>\n<p>Smith is now using his vast knowledge of the GOP against the voters because people in the Republican Party kept hiring him \u2014 and because voters who never imagined the swamp was beneath their feet kept electing them.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most of us see the swamp as Washington insiders, but a key defection from Sen. Cornyn\u2019s team shows it\u2019s closer than you think<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2646448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-20.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4539,8206,5894],"class_list":["post-2646447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-conservatives","tag-defection","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-20.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646447","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646447"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646451,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646447\/revisions\/2646451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}