Latest news with #EducationalFreedomInstitute
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trouble signs grow for Cornyn in Texas
Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) reelection campaign is facing serious warning signs as new polling shows the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) widening his lead in the Republican Senate primary. A poll conducted by GOP pollster Robert Blizzard on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 22 points among the state's Republican primary voters. The same poll shows Paxton leading among key demographics within the state's GOP primary electorate, including seniors and voters who identified as 'MAGA.' While Cornyn's campaign has dismissed the findings as biased and as 'silly season' for polling, the findings are the latest in a string of polls showing the longtime incumbent trailing his primary challenger. Texas Republicans say it's another sign that Cornyn needs to ramp up his attacks and spending ahead of February's primary. 'I think those numbers today are going to force Cornyn to go up on air and take a chunk out of Ken Paxton pretty damn soon,' one Republican strategist told The Hill. 'The question is, can he?' The senator's former campaign manager Brendan Steinhauser noted that Cornyn's team will not hold back in an effort to define Paxton early in the primary. 'I think they're going to have to spend a lot of money early to try and make their case given where we are in the polling right out of the gate,' Steinhauser said. And Cornyn's campaign has already begun going on offense against Paxton. Last week, the incumbent senator's campaign rolled out four new ads hitting Paxton over money his office gave to several Texas entities, accusing Paxton of 'funding the left.' The spots were part of a five-figure digital ad buy. Cornyn's allies point out that the primary is in February of next year, which allows ample time to close the gap with Paxton. 'The primary is in nine months,' said Matt Mackowiak, a senior adviser to Cornyn's campaign. 'This is going to be a very close race and Sen. Cornyn is fully committed to winning it.' Mackowiak cited a poll of the race released last week by Texas Southern University as 'the last credible independent poll' of the contest. While that poll showed Paxton holding a nine-point lead in the primary, it also had Cornyn leading hypothetical Democratic candidate Collin Allred by four points and Paxton leading Allred by just two, within the margin of error. Last month, a Senate Leadership Fund poll showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 16 points. But in a hypothetical general election poll, Paxton lost by 1 point to Allred. And even Paxton allies acknowledge it's early in the race. 'Cornyn's folks are right, it is silly season for polling,' said Republican donor Dan Eberhart, who is supporting Paxton. 'But he definitely has an uphill battle.' A senior Cornyn adviser told The Hill that they didn't expect any movement in the polls until early next year. 'These races don't move much until the end,' the adviser said. 'You'd be wasting money to spend money right now. Cornyn's going to have to spend money though.' Some Republicans question whether Cornyn will be able to make that case, given the state of the conservative grassroots in Texas. The incumbent senator garnered the wrath of the grassroots in 2022 when he helped lead the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which addressed gun control and school safety, through Congress after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Cornyn was later booed at the Texas GOP convention that year, and the Collin County GOP voted to censure him. And in 2023, Cornyn said he believed Trump's 'time has passed him by' in terms of whether he could win another election. Cornyn later endorsed Trump, saying the president 'was right and I was wrong.' 'Holy cow, like how does he ever anticipate climbing back into this in the good graces of a MAGA-led GOP base with those two anchors around his neck?' the unnamed GOP strategist said. Others note that the latest polling is less about Cornyn and more about Paxton's own popularity with the base, particularly coming out of the latter's impeachment trial in the Texas state House. Paxton has been a central figure in an ongoing civil war within the Texas Republican Party. In 2023, he was acquitted in 2023 on 16 articles of impeachment amid allegations that he had used the power of his office to aid his friend. The impeachment effort partly led to a campaign by Paxton and his allies in the Lone Star State to purge the legislature of Republicans they saw as disloyal. Next year's Senate primary is seen as the latest development in that intraparty conflict. 'A lot of Republican grassroots activists and voters like what they see in terms of his leadership at the office of attorney general,' Steinhauser said. 'They see Paxton as someone who is on the right wing of the party and so a lot of the activists are excited about his candidacy.' 'If there was someone else running against Cornyn, maybe even a congressman or a state senator or someone like that, I don't think you would see those numbers,' he continued. Paxton has painted himself as a victim of the political establishment, in many ways mirroring the strategy Trump deployed in his runs for office. 'I think it's MAGA vs. DC,' Eberhart said. 'Cornyn is a gentler Republican from a past era. Paxton is a fighter and that's what Texas Republicans want.' Still, it's unclear whether Trump will endorse in the primary. The president is fond of Paxton, but has worked with Cornyn in the Senate. And even if Trump were to back Cornyn, the internal poll released earlier this week showed Paxton continuing to lead Cornyn. After voters were told to assume Trump would endorse Cornyn, Paxton would attack Cornyn for his past comments on Trump and Paxton would attack Cornyn over working with Democrats on gun safety legislation, Cornyn trailed Paxton 62 percent to 21 percent. 'I wouldn't underestimate [Cornyn],' Steinhauser said, referring to Cornyn. 'He's never lost an election yet in Texas. He still has a lot of loyal voters. I think if Trump stays out of the race, which I think he's going to do, then I think it will tighten up a bit.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trouble signs grow for Cornyn in Texas
Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) reelection campaign is facing serious warning signs as new polling shows the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) widening his lead in the Republican Senate primary. A poll conducted by GOP pollster Robert Blizzard on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 22 points among the state's Republican primary voters. The same poll shows Paxton leading among key demographics within the state's GOP primary electorate, including seniors and voters who identified as 'MAGA.' While Cornyn's campaign has dismissed the findings as biased and as 'silly season' for polling, the findings are the latest in a string of polls showing the longtime incumbent trailing his primary challenger. Texas Republicans say it's another sign that Cornyn needs to ramp up his attacks and spending ahead of February's primary. 'I think those numbers today are going to force Cornyn to go up on air and take a chunk out of Ken Paxton pretty damn soon,' one Republican strategist told The Hill. 'The question is, can he?' The senator's former campaign manager Brendan Steinhauser noted that Cornyn's team will not hold back in an effort to define Paxton early in the primary. 'I think they're going to have to spend a lot of money early to try and make their case given where we are in the polling right out of the gate,' Steinhauser said. And Cornyn's campaign has already begun going on offense against Paxton. Last week, the incumbent senator's campaign rolled out four new ads hitting Paxton over money his office gave to several Texas entities, accusing Paxton of 'funding the left.' The spots were part of a five-figure digital ad buy. Cornyn's allies point out that the primary is in February of next year, which allows ample time to close the gap with Paxton. 'The primary is in nine months,' said Matt Mackowiak, a senior adviser to Cornyn's campaign. 'This is going to be a very close race and Sen. Cornyn is fully committed to winning it.' Mackowiak cited a poll of the race released last week by Texas Southern University as 'the last credible independent poll' of the contest. While that poll showed Paxton holding a nine-point lead in the primary, it also had Cornyn leading hypothetical Democratic candidate Collin Allred by four points and Paxton leading Allred by just two, within the margin of error. Last month, a Senate Leadership Fund poll showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 16 points. But in a hypothetical general election poll, Paxton lost by 1 point to Allred. And even Paxton allies acknowledge it's early in the race. 'Cornyn's folks are right, it is silly season for polling,' said Republican donor Dan Eberhart, who is supporting Paxton. 'But he definitely has an uphill battle.' A senior Cornyn adviser told The Hill that they didn't expect any movement in the polls until early next year. 'These races don't move much until the end,' the adviser said. 'You'd be wasting money to spend money right now. Cornyn's going to have to spend money though.' Some Republicans question whether Cornyn will be able to make that case, given the state of the conservative grassroots in Texas. The incumbent senator garnered the wrath of the grassroots in 2022 when he helped lead the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which addressed gun control and school safety, through Congress after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Cornyn was later booed at the Texas GOP convention that year, and the Collin County GOP voted to censure him. And in 2023, Cornyn said he believed Trump's 'time has passed him by' in terms of whether he could win another election. Cornyn later endorsed Trump, saying the president 'was right and I was wrong.' 'Holy cow, like how does he ever anticipate climbing back into this in the good graces of a MAGA-led GOP base with those two anchors around his neck?' the unnamed GOP strategist said. Others note that the latest polling is less about Cornyn and more about Paxton's own popularity with the base, particularly coming out of the latter's impeachment trial in the Texas state House. Paxton has been a central figure in an ongoing civil war within the Texas Republican Party. In 2023, he was acquitted in 2023 on 16 articles of impeachment amid allegations that he had used the power of his office to aid his friend. The impeachment effort partly led to a campaign by Paxton and his allies in the Lone Star State to purge the legislature of Republicans they saw as disloyal. Next year's Senate primary is seen as the latest development in that intraparty conflict. 'A lot of Republican grassroots activists and voters like what they see in terms of his leadership at the office of attorney general,' Steinhauser said. 'They see Paxton as someone who is on the right wing of the party and so a lot of the activists are excited about his candidacy.' 'If there was someone else running against Cornyn, maybe even a congressman or a state senator or someone like that, I don't think you would see those numbers,' he continued. Paxton has painted himself as a victim of the political establishment, in many ways mirroring the strategy Trump deployed in his runs for office. 'I think it's MAGA vs. DC,' Eberhart said. 'Cornyn is a gentler Republican from a past era. Paxton is a fighter and that's what Texas Republicans want.' Still, it's unclear whether Trump will endorse in the primary. The president is fond of Paxton, but has worked with Cornyn in the Senate. And even if Trump were to back Cornyn, the internal poll released earlier this week showed Paxton continuing to lead Cornyn. After voters were told to assume Trump would endorse Cornyn, Paxton would attack Cornyn for his past comments on Trump and Paxton would attack Cornyn over working with Democrats on gun safety legislation, Cornyn trailed Paxton 62 percent to 21 percent. 'I wouldn't underestimate [Cornyn],' Steinhauser said, referring to Cornyn. 'He's never lost an election yet in Texas. He still has a lot of loyal voters. I think if Trump stays out of the race, which I think he's going to do, then I think it will tighten up a bit.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cornyn trailing Paxton by 22 points in Texas GOP Senate primary: Poll
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) trails Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) by 22 points in the state's Republican Senate primary, according to a poll released Tuesday. The survey, which was conducted by pollster Robert Blizzard on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute and first obtained by Punchbowl News, showed Paxton leading Cornyn 50 percent to 28 percent among Republican primary voters. Paxton expanded his lead among voters described as 'very conservative GOP primary voters,' leading Cornyn 60 percent to 22 percent. Among voters described as 'high propensity 3/3 GOP primary voters,' Paxton leads Cornyn by 30 points. The poll also showed Paxton leading Cornyn by 35 points among 'MAGA voters' and by 12 points among senior voters. In a statement to The Hill, Cornyn's campaign said it was 'silly season for polling and this one takes the gold medal.' 'A poll conducted by a longtime Paxton supporter doesn't pass the smell test. We remain confident that once Republican primary voters fully understand Ken Paxton's record of ethical failures, mismanagement and corruption, we will win this primary,' said Matt Mackowiak, a Cornyn campaign senior adviser. The poll is the latest in a string of data points showing the incumbent trailing the conservative primary challenger. Last week, a poll from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University showed Paxton leading in a hypothetical two-way contest with 43 percent to Cornyn's 34 percent, and 23 percent unsure. A separate internal poll released last month by the Senate Leadership Fund, which is supporting Cornyn, showed Paxton trailing Cornyn by 16 points. Cornyn's allies have maintained that once the primary campaign kicks into full swing and voters become more engaged, the gap in the polls will begin to close. Another factor that stands to impact the race is a potential President Trump endorsement. However, Tuesday's poll finds Cornyn appears to lose support on 'an informed ballot test.' After voters were told to assume Trump would endorse Cornyn, Paxton would attack Cornyn for his past comments on Trump and Paxton would attack Cornyn over working with Democrats on gun safety legislation, Cornyn trailed Paxton 62 percent to 21 percent. The poll was conducted May 27-28 among 600 Texas Republican primary voters on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute. The margin of error is 4 percentage points. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
3 days ago
- General
- The Hill
Cornyn trailing Paxton by 22 points in Texas GOP Senate primary: Poll
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) trails Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) by 22 points in the state's Republican Senate primary, according to a new poll released on Tuesday. The survey, which was conducted by pollster Robert Blizzard on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute and first obtained by Punchbowl News, showed Paxton leading Cornyn 50 percent to 28 percent among Republican primary voters. Paxton expanded his lead among voters described as 'very conservative GOP primary voters,' leading Cornyn 60 percent to 22 percent. Among voters described as 'high propensity 3/3 GOP primary voters,' Paxton leads Cornyn by 30 points. The poll also showed Paxton leading Cornyn by 35 points among 'MAGA voters' and by 12 points among senior voters. The poll is the latest in a string of data points showing the incumbent senator trailing the conservative primary challenger. Last week, a poll from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University showed Paxton leading in a hypothetical two-way contest with 43 percent to Cornyn's 34 percent, and 23 percent unsure. A separate internal poll released last month by the Senate Leadership Fund, which is supporting Cornyn, showed Paxton trailing Cornyn by 16 points. Cornyn's allies have maintained that once the primary campaign kicks into full swing and voters become more engaged, the gap in the polls will begin to close. Another factor that stands to impact the race is whether or not President Trump endorses in the primary. However, Tuesday's poll finds that Cornyn appears to lose support on 'an informed ballot test.' After voters were told to assume Trump would endorse Cornyn, Paxton would attack Cornyn for his past comments on Trump, and Paxton would attack Cornyn over working with Democrats on gun safety legislation, Cornyn trailed Paxton 62 percent to 21 percent. The poll was conducted May 27 and May 28 among 600 Texas Republican primary voters on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 points.
Fox News
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump signs executive orders stripping federal funding from schools that teach CRT, supporting school choice
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on education, one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), and another to support school choice. Trump's executive order on CRT, "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling," reads, "Parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight." It goes on to say that "Such an environment operates as an echo chamber, in which students are forced to accept these ideologies without question or critical examination. In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics." The executive order states that any K-12 school that does not comply with the directive to end discrimination will lose all federal funding, citing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination over race, color, and national origin for any activity or program receiving federal funding. Trump's executive order on school choice, "Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families," cites the National Assessment of Educational Progress Report Card, highlighting that "70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math." "When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities," the executive order reads. "For this reason, more than a dozen States have enacted universal K-12 scholarship programs, allowing families — rather than the government — to choose the best educational setting for their children." Among other actions, it also directs the Secretary of Education, within 60 days of the order, to "issue guidance regarding how States can use Federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives," as well as directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education, within 90 days of the executive order, to propose plans to use grant programs to further educational choice. "President Trump just showed the American people why he won the parent vote by 9 points," Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Culture Project and executive director of the Educational Freedom Institute, told Fox News Digital. "Parents want to be able to direct the upbringing of their children. Parents need to be in charge of their children's education, not the government." Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of Teachers, voiced her concern about the educational freedom executive order in a Wednesday press release, saying, "Americans of all political stripes want safe and welcoming public schools where kids are engaged and have the knowledge and skills to thrive in careers, college and life. This plan is a direct attack on all that parents and families hold dear; it's a ham-fisted, recycled and likely illegal scheme to diminish choice and deny classrooms resources to pay for tax cuts for billionaires."
