President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that he plans to intervene directly in Texas’ Republican Senate runoff—endorsing one candidate and urging the other to withdraw in the interest of party unity before November.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed frustration with the continued fight between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, warning that the prolonged contest risks weakening Republicans ahead of the general election, noted CNN.
“The Republican primary race for the United States Senate in the Great State of Texas, a State I LOVE and won 3 times in Records Numbers (the HIGHEST vote ever recorded, by far!!!), cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer,” Trump wrote. “IT MUST STOP NOW!”
Trump pointed to the strength of his past endorsements in Texas, noting that most candidates he backed either won outright or advanced to runoff elections. He said his decision would come soon.
“I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!” Trump stated. “Is that fair? We must win in November!!!”
Trump did not say whether he plans to endorse Cornyn or Paxton but stressed that Republicans must quickly unite behind a nominee capable of defeating what he called the “Radical Left Opponent.”
He added that Republicans must “TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively!”
Both Cornyn and Paxton, Trump wrote, “ran great races, but not good enough,” adding that the eventual nominee’s campaign “must be PERFECT!”
Tuesday’s primary produced no clear winner. With nearly all votes counted, Cornyn received about 42% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Paxton’s 41%. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished third, sending the top two candidates to a May 26 runoff.
The race has become one of the most expensive and divisive Republican primaries in Texas history, with nearly $100 million already spent. Both campaigns have aggressively courted Trump’s endorsement, widely viewed as potentially decisive among GOP voters.
Paxton quickly indicated he will remain in the race regardless of Trump’s decision.
“I’m staying in this race,” Paxton said during an appearance on a conservative television program. “I owe it to the people of Texas.”
Democrats nominated state Rep. James Talarico after he defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in their primary. Texas remains strongly Republican statewide, though some GOP strategists believe Talarico could prove a more disciplined opponent than recent Democratic nominees.
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