Ken Paxton's long-distance quest for a Trump endorsement

CNN

2 days ago

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently found himself roughly 4,500 miles from home as he sought one thing that could give him an edge in his bitter primary fight against GOP Sen. John Cornyn: an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
On the last Saturday in July, Paxton was in the Scottish village of Turnberry at the president's luxury golf resort, where the Texas attorney general encountered his occasional golf partner out on the links of Trump Turnberry.
Trump and Paxton did not play a round together on the course in western Scotland that overlooks the Irish Sea, and it's not clear if the president was expecting to see him there. But the two crossed paths, according to three people familiar with the exchange, and spoke privately for several minutes about the Texas race.
The White House initially denied that any such encounter took place between Trump and Paxton. Asked again Monday about the accounts from the people familiar with the pair's exchange, an official did not respond to a request for comment.
The president is paying remarkably close attention to the Texas Senate race, aides said, and all House and Senate contests that will help determine whether Republicans hold their majorities after the 2026 midterm elections. He talks to candidates regularly, aides said, and has signaled his intent to be more pragmatic with endorsements than during his first term in office.
Paxton's trip to Scotland, which has not been previously reported, offers the latest window into the lengths to which the firebrand Texan has gone to court Trump's support in his insurgent primary bid against Cornyn. Earlier this summer, a pro-Paxton PAC aired its first TV ad in Palm Beach, Florida, where it could be seen from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, rather than by voters in Texas.
Paxton is, according to numerous public and private polls, holding strong advantages over Cornyn in next March's primary. But he is still struggling to raise money compared to the Republican incumbent, who has the full support of Senate leadership and is himself a powerhouse fundraiser.
Paxton himself believes that if he could secure an endorsement from Trump, it would further tilt the race in his favor and essentially end Cornyn's chances of reelection, according to multiple people close to him. He is close to the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., who was also on hand at Trump Turnberry late last month.
If Paxton becomes the Republican nominee, Democrats are poised to invest even more heavily in a seat they believe could become competitive in deep-red Texas, marking another potential opening in an uphill battle to win control of the Senate.
National Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have remained steadfastly behind Cornyn, saying he could win the primary and general election and help keep the Senate in GOP hands. Trump, however, has remained notably neutral in the race, despite Senate GOP leaders urging White House officials to support Cornyn.
'Well, I would love to see that happen,' Thune told CNN, referring to Trump coming off the sidelines to endorse Cornyn. 'But I think he's waiting to see how the race develops. Cleary, it's one of those races around the country where we have an incumbent and a primary election that could be competitive and very costly.'
The battle in Texas between Cornyn and Paxton has become one of the early marquee primary contests in the midterm election cycle. The two men, who have long been fierce rivals, are locked in an aggressive pursuit of Trump's endorsement.
And then there's GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is eying a run in the Senate primary, should one of the other Republicans falter before March. He, too, is a fierce Trump loyalist.
The president has been closely following as the Texas race takes shape, aides said, and has told supporters of Cornyn and Paxton that he was in no rush to choose a favorite. Both men have repeatedly invoked Trump in their respective campaigns.
'The biggest potential loser is President Trump's agenda,' Cornyn told reporters earlier this year, derisively describing Paxton's race for the Senate as a 'con man's vanity project.'
Paxton survived a bipartisan impeachment effort in Texas in no small part because of the unwavering support from Trump and other conservative allies. Paxton has accused Cornyn of turning his back on Trump, particularly as the former president battled his own legal challenges.
'Texans deserve another conservative senator,' Paxton posted on X last year, blasting Cornyn for being a member of the Republican establishment after nearly a quarter-century in Washington.
But Cornyn has increasingly demonstrated unflinching loyalty to Trump and points to a voting record that has been mostly in line with the president over the years.
While Trump's brash style may align more closely with Paxton, a Republican strategist close to the White House said any endorsement by the president would be based on whom he believes is in a stronger position to keep Democrats from picking up a Senate seat.
'Winning is all that matters to the president,' the Republican strategist told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss conversations with the president, suggesting loyalty may not be the most important factor in Trump's mindset of whether – or whom – to endorse.