\n So Paxton tried something new: At 12:18 p.m. on March 5, he posted on X<\/a> that he would consider dropping out if Senate Republicans abolished the filibuster to pass the Save America Act<\/a>, a Trump priority bill to impose new voter ID restrictions. Paxton texted Trump the post to make sure he saw it.\n <\/p>\n \n It was a \u201cHail Mary,\u201d as one person familiar with the matter put it, but it appeared to pay off. Trump was already frustrated<\/a> that his intentions to endorse Cornyn had been leaked and allies had been calling nonstop to tell him that a Cornyn endorsement would be a betrayal to his loyal base. Trump held off on endorsing in the runoff for 75 days \u2014 and then on Tuesday, Trump abruptly gave his support to Paxton.\n <\/p>\n \n The chain of events was as exhilarating to Paxton supporters who have long seen him as far more loyal to Trump \u2014 and worthy of his endorsement \u2014 as it was devastating to many of Cornyn\u2019s colleagues in the Senate.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is the president\u2019s party, let\u2019s just be very, very clear,\u201d said Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, an early Paxton supporter who brought him to this year\u2019s State of the Union. \u201cI think it is incumbent upon members of Congress and others to just remember that \u2014 remember that when it comes to the president\u2019s agenda.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Officials noted that Paxton\u2019s gambit on the legislation paid off with the president and kept him in the mix long enough for the tides to turn in his favor. Sources familiar with the decision-making process said Trump also likes Paxton more and always has, and that it wasn\u2019t a heavy lift to convince him of Cornyn being a fair-weather fan.\n <\/p>\n \n White House officials said Trump has also been feeling emboldened after helping unseat Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana<\/a> on Saturday and a group of Indiana state lawmakers<\/a> earlier this month, amounting to a hot streak of political revenge.\n <\/p>\n \n While Cornyn and Trump have generally worked well together, the president has not forgotten how Cornyn said in 2023 that Trump\u2019s time \u201chas passed him by,\u201d a comment that Paxton has regularly highlighted \u2014 and that Trump alluded to Tuesday.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump\u2019s endorsement instantly makes Paxton the front-runner in what had been considered a highly competitive May 26 runoff. Still, the endorsement could saddle Senate GOP leaders with a nominee whom Republican-affiliated groups have spent tens of millions of dollars attacking and portraying as unelectable.\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s a whirlwind turnaround that Democrats hope will upend the fight for Senate control.\n <\/p>\n \n Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said after Trump\u2019s endorsement of Paxton that Democrats are in \u201cmuch better shape\u201d to win the Texas race. Inside the White House, officials acknowledged there might be work to do to help boost Paxton but brushed off the idea that any Republican was going to be easily defeated in a state that hasn\u2019t elected a Democrat statewide in three decades.\n <\/p>\n \n Senate Majority Leader John Thune had talked with Trump about the race frequently in recent months, hoping to nudge him off the sidelines in favor of Cornyn. But Trump\u2019s relationship with the Senate GOP has been under strain in recent days as the Senate parliamentarian rejected Republicans\u2019 plans to secure funding<\/a> for Trump\u2019s White House ballroom and as Thune criticized a planned $1.776 billion legal compensation fund<\/a> for Trump\u2019s allies.\n <\/p>\n \n In a phone call with Thune on Monday, Trump floated the idea of a Paxton endorsement, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, adding that it was not clear a final decision had been made.\n <\/p>\n \n As of just a week ago, before the Louisiana primary, some White House officials were telling Senate leadership that Trump would likely endorse Cornyn, the source said.\n <\/p>\n \n Asked Tuesday how he learned about Trump\u2019s endorsement of Paxton, Thune indicated the president did not give him a heads-up.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI found out, I think, the way everyone else did,\u201d Thune said. He is still backing Cornyn.\n <\/p>\n \n Cornyn, 74, had always faced an uphill battle in his bid for a fifth term in the Senate, having partnered with Democrats to pass new gun safety rules in 2022 and having been slow to get behind Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign. But Cornyn pushed ahead, powered by personal animosity toward Paxton and belief that he could wage the first well-funded campaign to educate voters about Paxton\u2019s long list of scandals<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n Cornyn regularly noted he had voted with Trump almost 100% of the time and walked back his 2023 comments, admitting he was wrong about Trump\u2019s staying power.\n <\/p>\n \n It appeared to keep Trump at bay initially. The president, who once bashed Cornyn over the gun legislation, repeatedly said he liked both Cornyn and Paxton and felt conflicted.\n <\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ap26135659840518.jpg\")
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