DALLAS (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump said Wednesday he soon will endorse a Republican candidate in the Texas Senate race, warning that the divisive contest \u201ccannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Trump, a former reality television host, continued to stoke suspense over his decision by not immediately naming his choice, even as Republicans on Capitol Hill pushed him to support four-term Sen. John Cornyn<\/a> over conservative firebrand Ken Paxton<\/a>, the state\u2019s attorney general.<\/p>\n \u201cIT MUST STOP NOW!\u201d Trump wrote on social media after Cornyn and Paxton advanced on Tuesday to a May 26 runoff for the nomination. \u201cI will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don\u2019t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!\u201d<\/p>\n Paxton said he wouldn\u2019t drop out no matter whom Trump backed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m staying in this race,\u201d he told Real America\u2019s Voice. \u201cI owe it to the people of Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n Republicans are deeply concerned that the 83-day sprint to the runoff will be expensive and divisive as the party fights to maintain control of Congress in competitive states across the nation.<\/p>\n Texas, a state Trump carried by 14 percentage points, was not supposed to be among this year\u2019s political battlegrounds. But operatives in both parties believe Democrats have a real chance to claim a Senate seat here for the first time in nearly four decades. <\/p>\n Democrats nominated state Rep. James Talarico<\/a>, a 36-year-old Christian progressive who Republicans privately believed to be a stronger general election candidate than his primary opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett<\/a>. <\/p>\n Cornyn gets support from fellows senators<\/p>\n There was already pressure on Trump to endorse Cornyn before the president\u2019s social media post Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that Cornyn was \u201cthe best bet to win the general election.\u201d Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Mike Rounds of South Dakota said they have been sending similar messages to Trump.<\/p>\n The drumbeat has grown loud enough that Rep. Ronny Jackson, a Trump ally from Texas, said the expectation is the president will endorse Cornyn.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be probably more difficult for Paxton to beat Talarico than Cornyn,\u201d said Jackson, who has not made an endorsement. Because Cornyn has been \u201cdumping tons of money in the race,\u201d Jackson said it makes sense to avoid spending even more \u201cpicking each other apart for weeks and then going into the general election as the nominee wounded.\u201d<\/p>\n Cornyn and his allies spent nearly $70 million to survive the first round of the primary. He was slightly ahead of Paxton<\/a> with more votes still being counted Wednesday. <\/p>\n Some right-wing allies of the president warned him against backing Cornyn, whom they view as insufficiently loyal to Trump and his \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d movement. <\/p>\n \u201cEndorsing Cornyn will be more gutting to the base than the Iran air strikes,\u201d wrote conservative influencer Mike Cernovich on social media. <\/p>\n Paxton isn\u2019t backing down<\/p>\n