AUSTIN, Texas — With a 5 p.m. deadline now passed and no endorsement yet from President Donald Trump, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appear set to continue their fight for the Republican nomination in the Texas GOP Senate race.
Trump had previously requested that the candidate he does not endorse “immediately drop out of the race,” but as of the deadline, he had not announced an endorsement.
The contest between Cornyn and Paxton has been contentious, with both men trading sharp attacks.
“For too long, John Cornyn has turned his back on us,” Paxton said at the March 3 primary election.
“Character is on the ballot. Ken Paxton doesn’t believe that matters,” Cornyn said at the March 3 primary election.
Josh Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project, said the race is at a pause as both candidates await Trump’s decision.
“We’re in something of a standstill at this point. Both candidates have made very pointed attacks at each other,” Blank said.
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Cornyn and Paxton have been waiting for Trump’s endorsement since he hinted it would be coming soon, shortly after the primaries earlier this month. Trump also asked the candidate he does not endorse to drop out, but he has not commented publicly on the issue so far today.
Political experts say the runoff remains unpredictable. Cornyn received 1% more votes than Paxton during the March third primary, leaving the outcome uncertain heading into the next election.
“Many voters in the Republican electorate hold negative views about one or both, Paxton and Cornyn, and so the idea of how this race is going to progress is anyone’s guess at this point,” Blank said.
In a statement to CBS Austin, Cornyn’s team said it is confident moving forward, saying, “Senator Cornyn overperformed all expectations by winning the primary after Ken Paxton spent two weeks predicting he would win without a runoff.”
Earlier this month, Paxton said he would consider dropping out on his own if the Save America Act is passed. The bill was being debated by lawmakers today. In a statement this afternoon, Paxton said, “The Save America Act is the most important bill the US Senate could ever pass, and failure is not an option. We must use every tool at our disposal…to get this done.”
The runoff election is May 26, with early voting starting May 18. Paxton’s campaign team had not responded to a request for comment.
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