MAGA favorite Ken Paxton is defying Donald Trump by suggesting he would only drop out of a hotly contested Senate runoff in Texas if the SAVE Act gets passed in the upper chamber.
In a post on X on Thursday, the constantly embattled Texas attorney general said he would “consider” ending his challenge for John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat if the filibuster is scrapped so that the bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration does not need the support of at least 60 senators.
Paxton has essentially given himself an excuse to remain in the race after openly defying the president, who is believed to be leaning toward the incumbent Cornyn in the runoff, despite Paxton being the MAGA candidate of choice. The SAVE Act has already cleared the House but is not expected to have enough support to reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, and there is little appetite among senators to eliminate the filibuster.
Trump has yet to endorse either Cornyn or Paxton in the May 26 runoff election, but he posted on Truth Social Wednesday that he would be making one soon and then “asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”
In an interview with Real America’s Voice, Paxton said he would be “staying in this race” even if Trump endorses his opponent. “I owe it to the people of Texas,” he added.
When pressed about Paxton’s comments, Trump hinted they had further convinced him to endorse Cornyn in the race.
“Well, that’s bad for him to say,” Trump told Politico. “That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”
Senate Republicans are desperate for Trump to give his influential endorsement to the veteran Cornyn, who they believe would easily beat the Democratic challenger, state Rep. James Talarico, in November’s midterm race.
Paxton, on the other hand, is considered someone whom Talarico could potentially topple in a general election. Paxton has a string of controversies behind him, including being impeached by Texas Republicans over fraud and obstruction of justice allegations, being dogged by corruption charges, and having his wife file for divorce last year on “biblical grounds.”
Cornyn only narrowly led Paxton in Tuesday’s GOP primary, and both fell short of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff, despite more than $50 million being spent on television advertising.
In his Thursday post, Paxton cited his MAGA credentials and support for the SAVE Act as the main reasons he is the best person to win the runoff.
“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, fake news reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation,” Paxton wrote.
“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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