increasingly ugly and expensive<\/a> in the weeks to come. <\/p>\nCornyn has his own supporters within the Texas Legislature. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping that the president will look at all the facts and support an honorable senator who has represented Texas very well, as opposed to a crook and a liar,\u201d said Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth.<\/p>\n
Cornyn tried to further align himself with Trump on Wednesday by reversing his position on the Senate filibuster. The senator said he would support changing the rules to pass the SAVE America Act, which the president has described as his top priority. The legislation would require voters to prove their citizenship when registering. <\/p>\n
\u201cI support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary,\u201d Cornyn wrote in an op-ed in the New York Post, to get the bill \u201cthrough the Senate and on the president\u2019s desk for his signature.\u201d <\/p>\n
Paxton had already played for Trump’s favor on the issue, saying nearly a week ago that he would be willing to drop out of the race if the Senate passed the measure. Right now it’s stalled because there aren’t enough votes to overcome the filibuster, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t want to change the rules. <\/p>\n
Cornyn\u2019s campaign began airing its first television advertisement of the runoff campaign, a bruising spot that uses a Christian theme that notes Paxton\u2019s wife accused him of infidelity. A narrator\u2019s booming voice intones, \u201cThou shalt not commit adultery,\u201d over images of churches and the Bible. The campaign is spending $330,000 for the opening round and is expected to expand it. <\/p>\n
Cornyn was elected in 2002, at the height of Texan George W. Bush\u2019s popularity as president. He has more recently been dismissive of Trump and his agenda, saying in 2023 that Trump\u2019s \u201ctime has passed.” Likewise, he had called Trump\u2019s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall \u201cnaive\u201d early on, and helped pass gun-control legislation after the Uvalde school shooting in 2022. <\/p>\n
Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano said Cornyn has the conservative credentials, notably as a reliable opponent of abortion rights, but has broader appeal than Paxton.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Cornyn is the only person who can beat James Talarico,\u201d Shaheen said, referring to the Democratic nominee in the race. \u201cAnd I believe the president understands that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Texas Rep. Wesley Virdell, a leading gun-rights advocate in the state House from Brady, said he’s worried that Trump will back Cornyn. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have concern that he may be getting bad advice from certain officials,\u201d said Virdell. \u201cI hope he will take other conservative members\u2019 opinions into consideration, because I think it\u2019s going to look really bad for President Trump if he endorses him.”<\/p>\n
Paxton, despite the nod to Trump\u2019s legislative priority, has shown no signs of dropping from the race. He plans to speak at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, a gathering of the nation\u2019s leading conservative officials and personalities, this year in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Rep. Shelley Luther of rural Grayson County said her constituents would be disappointed if Trump backed Cornyn. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019d be like, \u2018He\u2019s out of touch with what Texans want,'” she said. <\/p>\n
____<\/p>\n
Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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