Thune previously backed Cornyn, calling him a “principled conservative” ahead of the runoff election.

Sen. John Cornyn’s landslide defeat Tuesday immediately raised a pressing question for his GOP colleagues: Will he join the ranks of other Republicans recently vanquished by President Donald Trump and begin bucking the president more?

John Cornyn was a loyal Republican soldier. There’s no disputing that Cornyn’s voting record was almost perfectly aligned with Trump. Ken Paxton’s lopsided victory captured an important reality of the GOP in 2026,

President Donald Trump congratulated Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on his career in the Senate as he took to Truth Social to celebrate Ken Paxton‘s win in the Texas Senate GOP runoff. “Congratulations to Ken Paxton on such a tremendous win,

It’s a loss for the Republican establishment, which viewed the brutal Texas Senate runoff as a battle for the soul of the party.

The president has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the race.

President Trump on Wednesday congratulated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for his win over Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Senate GOP primary runoff. Despite the loss, Trump added that Cornyn “will remain my friend for a long time to come.

Sen. John Cornyn lost to his MAGA-aligned challenger, Ken Paxton, by 28 percentage points. It was a historically poor showing.