May 2, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Cornyn touts MAGA cred in face of primary threat

Stef W. Kight

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks to press after meeting with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) nominee Terry Cole outside of his office — Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks to press. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) is boasting a 99% voting record with President Trump in a new memo provided first to Axios.

Why it matters: The four-term senator and his firebrand primary challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, are battling to win Trump's coveted endorsement in what is quickly shaping up to be the most dramatic and expensive GOP primary of the cycle.

Zoom in: Paxton has launched early attacks on Cornyn, accusing him of not being a true Trumper. The Cornyn memo points to the senator's voting record to try to punch back.

Cornyn's team is using fellow Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) as a foil, tallying the votes to tout that Cruz has voted against Trump more often than Cornyn.
Over Trump's first term and so far in his second, Cornyn voted in line with Trump 99.2% of the time while Cruz voted with him 96.6% of the time, according to the data, which removed duplicative procedural votes.

Zoom out: A group backing Paxton's primary bid launched its first TV ad this week.

It is notably airing in Palm Beach, Fla. rather than Texas — with the clear intention of catching Trump's eye, as Axios scooped.

The intrigue: Cruz isn't endorsing in the primary, saying he has good relationships with both Cornyn and Paxton. But GOP leadership has circled the wagons around Cornyn.

Both Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) have urged Trump to publicly back Cornyn.

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Scoop: Cornyn touts MAGA cred in face of primary threat

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