Cornyn aiming to win U.S. Senate majority leader race
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Sen. John Cornyn (right), accompanied by Sen. Tom Cotton, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Texas' senior U.S. senator, John Cornyn, is hoping to convince his Republican colleagues to name him the next Senate majority leader.
Why it matters: Come January, the new Senate majority leader will grease the legislative skids for President-elect Trump's agenda.
- The majority leader determines what gets to the Senate floor for a vote.
- The leader can wield enormous power: Mitch McConnell famously didn't allow a vote or hearings on whether Merrick Garland, nominated in 2016 by then-President Obama, should be a U.S. Supreme Court justice, effectively snuffing out Garland's chances.
Driving the news: Republicans plan to vote Wednesday on the majority leader, who will then serve in that role when the 119th Congress begins in January.
The intrigue: Cornyn, whose chief rival for the leader spot is Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), waited until after Trump won the New Hampshire primary in January to publicly declare his support for the former president.
- In late February, after Cornyn hinted he might run for the position, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a close ally of Trump's, posted on X: "It will be difficult for Cornyn to be an effective leader since he is anti-Trump, anti-gun, and will be focused on his highly competitive primary campaign in 2026."
- "Republicans deserve better in their next leader and Texans deserve another conservative Senator," wrote Paxton — who could potentially run against Cornyn in a GOP Senate primary.
Yes, but: Cornyn, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 following stints as a Texas Supreme Court judge and state attorney general, is generally well regarded by his fellow GOP senators — and they're the electorate for the majority leader vote.
Zoom in: When Cornyn announced his bid to become the next majority leader, he emphasized his history of seeking consensus and fighting for policies that protect consumers, strengthen the border and law enforcement, and promote mental health care.
- The senator has pushed bills to combat fentanyl trafficking and fund drug abuse support programs. He has also spearheaded work on a bipartisan bill to increase funding to law enforcement for de-escalation training and mental health responses.
- He worked with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to draft a bill to challenge online ticket scalpers.
Between the lines: Building up political capital in the run-up to the Nov. 5 election, Cornyn campaigned for Republican U.S. Senate candidates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and Nevada.
By the numbers: Cornyn has raised more than $400 million since 2002 to advance conservative causes, sharing more than $325 million with Senate Republican colleagues and candidates, leadership PACs, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
What they're saying: "When I graduated from college, I waited tables at a Steak and Ale restaurant in San Antonio. They trained the managers at those restaurants by having them wash dishes, bus tables and work the grill — and I feel like I've had a similar experience in the Senate," Cornyn told Axios and other reporters gathered at an early voting event in Austin on Oct. 29.
- "I'm ready to assume those responsibilities."