President Donald Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the upcoming Texas Senate Republican primary runoff between Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The decision hangs over the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, where MAGA supporters celebrate the lack of support for Cornyn. Paxton recently met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago amid efforts to secure his backing.
Grapevine, Texas, is hosting the annual CPAC, drawing conservative activists as they watch the Texas GOP Senate primary runoff set for May. All eyes are on President Donald Trump, who has refrained from endorsing either Senator John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, prompting celebration among MAGA supporters who view it as a rebuke to Cornyn and the Republican establishment. Steve Bannon told POLITICO, “The grassroots stood in the breach and said a resounding ‘NO’ to Cornyn.” Polling and limited spending by Cornyn's campaign, the NRSC, and One Nation reinforce this perception, according to MAGA observers. Paxton visited Mar-a-Lago last Friday for a Palm Beach County GOP dinner and spoke with Trump on the patio about the runoff, sources familiar with the matter said. “It was a positive meeting,” one person noted. A Paxton spokesperson declined to comment. Trump allies suggest he is holding off amid Senate debates on the SAVE Act, with some predicting no endorsement or a late nod to Paxton. “Nothing is dead,” a source familiar with the president’s thinking said. “It’s all just stasis at the moment.” A White House official added, “It’s looking like he may not endorse at all.” Cornyn's senior adviser Matt Mackowiak countered that Paxton has raised far less than needed and faces donor discomfort over his record. “We have a plan to win this race and we are executing it,” Mackowiak said. NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez emphasized Cornyn as the choice to protect Trump's Senate majority without wasting resources in a safe seat. Paxton will headline CPAC's Ronald Reagan dinner on Friday night, while Cornyn is not attending despite an open invitation from organizer Mercedes Schlapp. Attendees like Gregorio Heise, a Paxton backer, said Texans have decided, with polls favoring Paxton.
