We are hard pressed to think of a race more important to the soul of the GOP and its connection to conservatism than the U.S. Senate primary in Texas.
The ongoing character assassination of Sen. John Cornyn by a member of his own party shows that there is no appeasing the army of sycophants who treat blind loyalty to President Donald Trump as the only valid test of conservatism.
Because so much of the Republican base is persuaded that whoever out-MAGAs the next guy is the right candidate, Cornyn, a longtime servant of true conservatism, finds himself in an uphill fight.
It’s the wrong fight for Republicans to wage, and it will put conservative governance at risk in this state.
Opinion
Attorney General Ken Paxton, Cornyn’s main opponent, is one of the most ethically compromised men in American politics today.
He was credibly charged in an impeachment with selling out his office, partly for gain and partly to further an alleged extra-marital affair. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, stood by him during his impeachment, only to file for divorce on biblical grounds later after another alleged affair. This from a man who demands the Ten Commandments be posted in schools.
Texans who aren’t hyperpartisan are disgusted by Paxton’s hypocrisy and know he would be vulnerable to defeat in a general election. The GOP base may have to learn this the hard way, and we are doubtful the blindly loyal will. But for those conservatives who still embrace independence, please cast a vote for Cornyn for the sake of your party if not the state.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is also trying to run as the most MAGA, is a better candidate than Paxton, but only by virtue of not being an ethical mess. Hunt proudly doesn’t show up to do his job in Washington, D.C. His appeal to voters is solely his uncritical allegiance to Trump.
Paxton’s sales job boils down to the same thing. It’s a promise that he’s not his own man, that he will simply be a tool. If you visit his website, he pledges to “carry the torch” for Trump but offers precious little about his own ideas. When did this become the spirit of Texas conservatism?
Cornyn has ideas and a record of delivering for Texans. He has years of conservative legislative accomplishments to point to, including lower taxes, federal reimbursements for border security and a commitment to law and order.
Before Paxton was impeached, he saw his top deputies in the attorney general’s office turn against him. These are people he hired, deeply conservative people who love this state and fought for it. Sickened by what they saw as open corruption, they turned their boss in.
We urge conservatives not to let their independence be undermined by the false promises and bottomless fealty of a compromised man seeking to accumulate yet more power.
There is a true and ethical conservative in this race. His name is John Cornyn.
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