Paxton racks up Texas endorsements as bitter Cornyn runoff hits fever pitch
· Fox News
EXCLUSIVE: The Texas Senate primary runoff is reaching a fever pitch as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton receives a slate of new endorsements from major state lawmakers and candidates over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
The bitter rivals have been lobbing increasingly personal attacks at each other after a bruising primary election in which neither candidate achieved the 50% threshold to receive the GOP nomination.
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Now, Paxton has received 13 new state-level political endorsements, including prominent Texas Republican Sens. Bob Hall and Donna Campbell, and state Rep. Janis Holt. This brings his total to 250 Texas leaders, including Texas members of Congress Reps. Lance Gooden and Troy Nehls, who have endorsed Paxton.
While an endorsement from President Donald Trump has remained notably absent for either candidate, the new endorsements represent a groundswell of renewed grassroots enthusiasm for Paxton as he and Cornyn close in on their May runoff election.
Whichever candidate emerges victorious will have to defend the critical GOP Senate seat against progressive Democratic candidate state Rep. James Talarico.
In response to the endorsements, Paxton told Fox News Digital he is "honored to be endorsed by leaders all across the state who are fighting for Texas and our future."
"The momentum behind our campaign continues to grow stronger every single day," Paxton continued, adding that "Texans are ready for a change and are ready to be represented by an America First warrior who is going to work tirelessly to help Texas and support President Trump."
"That’s exactly what I’ve done as Attorney General, and it’s what I’ll continue to do as our next United States Senator," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak told Fox News Digital that "Ken Paxton will be a down-ballot dead weight if he is the GOP nominee, while Sen. Cornyn will provide the strongest up-ballot support for all Republicans and give the GOP the best possible chance to win the five new congressional seats that are critical to Trump’s legislative agenda."
Cornyn "has earned the endorsement of more than 500 current and former elected officials from every corner of the state who appreciate his integrity, work ethic, and effectiveness in fighting for Texas and enacting Trump’s agenda," Mackowiak added.
While Paxton’s list of state-level endorsements continues to grow, Cornyn, a leading member of the Senate who has filled the seat since 2002, has been endorsed by the likes of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who called him a "very effective, conservative senator for the state of Texas and does a lot of good things for our country on so many issues."
He has also received the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Border Patrol Council and a long list of local leaders, including the famed business leader and sports gambler Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale.
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Both candidates continue to vie for the all-important endorsement from Trump.
While the president has yet to weigh in, he has repeatedly hinted at doing so. Trump has emphasized that he likes both candidates.
He recently suggested that a voting integrity bill being voraciously debated in the Senate will play a role in his endorsement decision.
"A lot has to do with the SAVE America Act," Trump said, according to NBC News. "A lot is going to determine — Republicans have to get that passed, because that will secure voting in this country."
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Cornyn has notably reversed his previous position on nixing the filibuster to get the SAVE America Act passed.