Overview
- Pro-Trump activists have launched an intense social-media drive urging the president to endorse Ken Paxton and to reject Sen. John Cornyn in the May 26 GOP runoff.
- Laura Loomer warned that the Republican base would likely stay home in 2026 if the president backs Cornyn, escalating pressure on his decision.
- Trump has said he plans to endorse, and his pick is widely expected to become the favorite in the runoff between Cornyn and the scandal-plagued attorney general.
- Top Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and NRSC chair Tim Scott, are pressing Trump privately to support Cornyn on electability grounds against Democrat James Talarico.
- Senior GOP officials suspect parts of the pro-Paxton online blitz are paid, a claim Paxton’s team denies, as Paxton attacks Cornyn for allegedly working to undermine Trump.