Former President Donald Trump finds himself in an unusual position as he prepares to visit Texas on Friday – unable to pick a favorite among three Republican friends vying for a U.S. Senate seat.
During his first major trip since delivering the State of the Union address, Trump will host all three GOP primary contenders at his Texas event focused on energy and economic policies, just days before voters head to the polls on Tuesday.
The contentious primary pits incumbent Senator John Cornyn, seeking his fifth term, against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Representative Wesley Hunt in what has devolved into a nasty personal battle. Each candidate has been working overtime to showcase their connection to Trump, who has withheld the endorsement they all desperately want.
Trump plans to build on themes from his Tuesday State of the Union speech, emphasizing economic growth and national security – key Republican talking points as the party works to maintain its congressional control this fall.
The former president’s reluctance to take sides reveals the complicated nature of this particular race.
A portion of Texas Republicans have soured on Cornyn, partly due to his initial skepticism about Trump’s 2024 presidential bid and his involvement in crafting stricter gun legislation following the tragic 2022 Uvalde school shooting. However, Senate Republican leaders and supporting organizations view Cornyn as having the best shot in a general election, given the controversies surrounding Paxton.
Paxton successfully fought off impeachment proceedings related to fraud allegations in 2023 and has dealt with public accusations of extramarital affairs made by his wife, state Senator Angela Paxton.
Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have pushed Trump to back Cornyn. They contend that defending the seat with Paxton as the nominee would require hundreds of millions of additional dollars.
“It is a strong possibility we cannot hold Texas if John Cornyn is not our nominee,” Scott stated during a Wednesday Fox News appearance.
Hunt, a Houston-area congressman serving his second term, joined the race later but emphasizes his Trump connection, having endorsed the former president early in his 2024 campaign. Hunt frequently campaigned alongside Trump and secured a prominent speaking opportunity at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Should no candidate secure 50% of Tuesday’s vote, the top two will compete in a May 26 runoff election.
Cornyn’s campaign and approximately six supporting organizations have invested over $63 million in the contest since fall, primarily targeting Paxton while recently shifting attacks toward Hunt to prevent him from reaching the runoff.
Trump hinted at potential involvement earlier this month, saying he was giving “a serious look” to making an endorsement in the Texas primary, but has since maintained his neutral stance.
Television viewers across Texas wouldn’t guess Trump’s neutrality from the advertising blitz. Cornyn has run commercials since last year highlighting his alignment with Trump’s policies, despite their sometimes strained relationship. Both Paxton and Hunt currently air advertisements showing them alongside Trump.
“I like all three of them, actually. Those are the toughest races. They’ve all supported me. They’re all good. You’re supposed to pick one, so we’ll see what happens. But I support all three,” Trump commented earlier this month.
While Republicans battle among themselves, Democrats have their own competitive primary featuring state Representative James Talarico, who describes himself as a policy expert who frequently references scripture, against progressive favorite U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett.
Trump has actively participated in other Texas Republican primaries. In the state’s 34th congressional district, which includes portions of Corpus Christi, former Representative Mayra Flores seeks to regain her position against Trump-endorsed Eric Flores (no family relation). The primary winner will challenge Democratic Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a longtime GOP target whose redrawn district now favors Republican candidates.
Eric Flores will attend Trump’s event at the Port of Corpus Christi, though the venue technically sits in an adjacent district.
In another part of Texas, Trump has endorsed Representative Tony Gonzales, who faces calls from fellow Republicans to resign following reports of an alleged relationship with a former staff member who later died after setting herself on fire. Gonzales refuses to step down and maintains that “opportunities for all of the details and facts to come out” will arise, stating the current reports don’t reflect “all the facts.”
Gonzales confronts a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, a firearms manufacturer and Second Amendment advocate who lost to Gonzales by under 400 votes in their 2024 runoff. The White House declined to comment Thursday on whether Trump continues supporting Gonzales.
