Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, September 2, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
Texas establishment Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the longtime incumbent, lost to Trump-endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton 64-36 percent in a May primary election.
Now that Paxton is in a hotly-contested race against Democrat Jams Talarico, what is he reward from Senate Republicans?
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, left, was thrashed the GOP runoff by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., in a Sunday interview made clear that the Senate GOP’s campaign operation can’t afford to spend in Texas (after throwing millions into the state primary in a vain attempt to save incumbent Sen. John Cornyn):
“There’s no sense bubble wrapping it — we’ve got a race in Texas. … [Paxton] is going to have to point out the deficiencies of Mr. Talarico. … [But] you can’t win an election by saying the other guy’s worse than me. Money is an issue. We in the Senate don’t have the money budgeted for Texas.”
In other words, “Sorry, Ken, you’re on your own!” wrote Shawn Fleetwood for the Federalist.
“We need help from the president,” Kennedy said. “The president says he has $850 million in his campaign accounts. That’s a lot of jack.”
After defying President Trump on passing the SAVE America Act, “it seems particularly rich that the Senate GOP is now running to Trump for help,” wrote Fleetwood but “there’s actually a bigger dynamic at play here that voters should pay attention to:”
Whenever an establishment-backed crony wins the GOP nomination in any given primary, conservative voters are told to fall in line and back the party’s candidate, no questions asked. But when Republican voters nominate a grassroots candidate who will actually fight for their interests, those same establishment voices are more than happy to leave that candidate out to dry.
Cornyn had outspent Paxton 3-1 and had the backing of establishment Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Since losing reelection Cornyn, the senior senator, has openly trashed Paxton, refused to campaign or fundraise on his behalf, and is bucking the Trump administration more openly than before.
Similar rebellious behavior by ousted establishment Republicans Thom Tillis of North Carolina and and Bill Cassidy and Louisiana fit the pattern.
“Senate GOPers have spent years building a political apparatus that works not to their voters’ benefit, but to their own. It’s a good ol’ boys club where the status quo of doing the bare minimum is considered sacrosanct,” wrote Fleetwood. That power structure is the priority.
“And if that means surrendering Texas and the Senate to Democrats in the short term, then so be it.”
