Cornyn leans into Texas redistricting fight amid uphill reelection bid
On Tuesday, Cornyn publicly called for FBI Director Kash Patel to assist in tracking down Democrats who fled the state in protest. Two days later, the senator and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) separately confirmed that the FBI was assisting in the effort.
The move to get out in front of the redistricting battle allows Cornyn to ingratiate himself with the state's deeply conservative base, who have distanced themselves from the incumbent senator in his uphill primary battle against Paxton.
'I think this is a good opportunity for Cornyn to show that he's a fighter and that's willing to take on an issue that's a red meat issue that resonates with the base. When you see those opportunities, you have to take them,' said Brendan Steinhauser, Cornyn's former campaign manager and a Texas-based GOP strategist.
'In campaigns like this, you don't get to control events. You can only control how you react and respond to them,' he continued. 'This is exactly the kind of thing he needs.'
Cornyn's allies have touted the senator's move. The National Republican Senatorial Committee rolled out a digital ad titled 'Cornyn Fights, Paxton Folds.'
The incumbent senator and his allies have also taken a number of swipes at Paxton in the process, pointing out that the state attorney general was in Europe as the redistricting battle erupted.
Paxton had previously traveled to Scotland at the end of July and met with President Trump during his trip to his Turnberry golf course.
'Memo to @kenpaxtontx:Hey, Ken. Are you in the office today? It's kind of important. Let me know if you need the address.Get off the golf course in Scotland and do your job. President Trump and Governor Abbott need a focused AG. For once,' Cornyn said in a post on the social platform X earlier this week.
An unnamed Republican strategist called Paxton's decision to stay in Europe 'a missed opportunity' but added it was not 'necessarily a vulnerability.'
'Texas Democrats doing this wasn't a surprise,' said an unnamed GOP strategist.'I'm really surprised that Paxton didn't plan better and go, 'You know what, I should probably do my visit with Trump and at least come back to Austin for a day and half.''
The same strategist argued that Cornyn's role as a federally elected official has forced him to 'cheer from the stands,' while it is easier for Paxton to get involved as a state elected official.
'It's such a state-centric issue,' the strategist said. 'If anybody, it would traditionally advantage Paxton over Cornyn just given his role in being able to use the Texas judicial system to chase these folks down.'
And Paxton has emerged as a prominent voice in the fight.
He initially criticized Cornyn's call for the FBI to intervene on Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast on Tuesday, saying it was 'purely a state issue.'
But Paxton later reversed in a statement to The Hill, saying he was open to the FBI getting involved.
'I'm in full support of using every possible method to secure a quorum and hold lawless Democrat legislators accountable for abandoning Texans, including involving federal authorities and the FBI,' Paxton said.
And as state attorney general, Paxton has used his office to take action against Texas Democrats.
Paxton announced this week he would seek judicial orders 'declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker's deadline have vacated their office.'
Additionally, Paxton said he is investigating whether former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's (D-Texas) political group is breaking laws by allegedly 'bankrolling' the state Democratic lawmakers' out-of-state travel.
'It's more about the actions he takes, it's more about the statements, it's more about having a voice in this, and you don't necessarily have to be in the state to accomplish that,' Steinhauser said.
The pro-Paxton Lone Star Liberty PAC compiled mainstream media coverage of the state's redistricting saga and Paxton's response, along with conservative media figures praising the state attorney general, into a digital spot released on Friday.
The redistricting battle comes as Cornyn faces the biggest fight of his political life in his bid to hold onto his seat.
Outside groups backing Cornyn have spent swaths of money boosting Cornyn in recent weeks. According to The Texas Tribune, the Senate GOP leadership-affiliated One Nation has spent more than $4 million in advertising, while Texans for a Conservative Majority, another pro-Cornyn group, has spent $3.2 million. The pro-Cornyn Conservative Majority Project has spent roughly $500,000.
'They're just throwing everything at the wall possible to try to capture one poll that shows him with momentum and really gaining on Paxton,' the unnamed strategist said. 'They're doing it to get the president's attention.'
Most polls have shown Cornyn consistently trailing Paxton, in many cases by double digits. Cornyn's team has maintained that there is plenty of time to close the gap by next year. There is also hope that an endorsement from Trump, who has given no indication he will wade into the primary, would boost Cornyn.
'These skirmishes on redistricting and otherwise are just bigger parts of the play for Cornyn in a mad dash to try to do anything he can to take the lead in polling,' the strategist said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The snowy remote army base where Trump will host Putin for talks
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at the remote Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a US military installation in Anchorage, Alaska. Elmendorf-Richardson combines the Air Force's Elmendorf base and the US Army's Fort Richardson. It is Alaska's largest military base and is home to more than 32,000 people - about 10% of Anchorage's population. Read more: The area is also significant for Russia: the US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago. In fact, Alaska's Little Diomede Island is less than three miles from Russia's Big Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, showing how geographically close the two countries are. During the Cold War, the base was regarded as "particularly important" in defending the US against the then-Soviet Union, according to the Library of Congress. Despite this proximity, Putin will be the first Russian president to visit Anchorage. Some have criticised the US president's decision to hold talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Alaska. "It's easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, 'Well, look, territories can change hands,'" said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus. "'We gave you Alaska. Why can't Ukraine give us a part of its territory?'" Although this will be Trump's first trip to Alaska since beginning his second term, he made several visits to Elmendorf-Richardson during his first term. Joe Biden and Barack Obama also visited; in 2015, Obama became the first US president to set foot north of the Arctic Circle during his trip. Elmendorf-Richardson hosts aircraft like the F-22 Raptor - a fighter jet the Air Force says "cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft". The US defence department describes the area as having "picturesque, majestic, snow-capped mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and plenty of wildlife". It also advises visitors attempting to drive to the base to bring emergency kits, food, blankets and extra fuel, as it is so remote.
Fox News
40 minutes ago
- Fox News
Appeals court allows Arkansas' first-in-the-nation ban on gender transition care for minors to be enforced
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender transition medical treatment to minors, reversing a lower court decision that blocked the first-in-the-nation law. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-2 on Tuesday to overturn a lower court decision, now allowing the state to enforce the law. The appeals court cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June upholding a similar ban in Tennessee, in which the nation's highest court ruled that the law was constitutional and did not discriminate against transgender people. Referencing the Supreme Court's decision, the appeals court agreed with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, that the law did not violate transgender minors' equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution. "I applaud the court's decision and am pleased that children in Arkansas will be protected from experimental procedures," Griffin said in a statement following the ruling. Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on social media that the ruling "is a win for common sense -- and for our kids." Arkansas became the first U.S. state to ban transgender treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors in 2021, when the Republican-led legislature passed the ban after they overruled the veto of then-GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Four families of transgender children and two doctors challenged the law, arguing the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act violated parents' due process rights under the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. Writing the majority opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton said parents have never had a right to obtain medical treatment for their children that a state government had banned. The judge also wrote that the lower court's decision, in which U.S. District Judge Jay Moody ruled in 2023 that the law discriminates against transgender people and poses "immediate and irreparable harm" to transgender children, conflicts with the Supreme Court's decision in the Tennessee case. The law was also previously blocked from taking effect in 2021. U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, meanwhile, wrote in the dissent that there is a "startling lack of evidence connecting Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care with its purported goal of protecting children." The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas were among the groups representing the plaintiffs. "This is a tragically unjust result for transgender Arkansans, their doctors, and their families," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement. "The state had every opportunity and failed at every turn to prove that this law helps children; in fact, this is a dangerous law that harms children," she continued. "The law has already had a profound impact on families across Arkansas who all deserve a fundamental right to do what is best for their children. As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want transgender Arkansans to know they are far from alone and we remain as determined as ever to secure their right to safety, dignity, and equal access to the health care they need." The ruling on Tuesday comes after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week that a similar ban in Oklahoma is constitutional, also relying upon the Supreme Court's decision on the Tennessee law.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom's Response To Donald Trump Moving Obama's Portrait To A Hidden Staircase Is Going Viral
Long, long ago, in what feels like a different universe and/or planet — 2022 — President Obama's presidential portrait was unveiled. Here's a closer look: Related: That portrait was hung near the Grand Staircase in the White House, where it lived for a few years. FWIW, this is where the portrait of the last president generally presides. Biden's portrait hadn't been completed, so that's why it wasn't up. Then Trump moved it. Related: Trump replaced it with a portrait of that picture from after the assassination attempt. The Obama portrait was moved to a different spot in the Entrance Hall. Related: And now, a few months later, Trump moved it again. This time to a "secret staircase." CNN reports it was moved to a staircase in a place out of public view in a "heavily restricted" area. He also moved George W. Bush's portrait. Naturally, Gavin Newsom's press office responded to this. Related: Here's what they said: "Small men hide from history's giants." Let's see what he does to the White House next. 😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫 Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
