Sen. John Cornyn will have to keep praying for a President Trump endorsement in the GOP Senate primary in Texas, but today he got some direct intervention from a different source: his opponent’s wife of 38 years.
Why it matters: The very public announcement from Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton that she would file for divorce from Texas AG Ken Paxton on “biblical grounds” might not save Cornyn, but it finally gives him an opening in a race that was slipping away.
- 📺 Before the divorce news, Trump was acting as a spectator-in-chief and not an endorser-in-chief.
- In a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-S.D.) on Wednesday night, Trump officials said they wanted to see if Cornyn could close his massive polling gap before the president puts his thumb on the scale, as Punchbowl News first reported.
- Both Cornyn and Paxton camps think a Trump endorsement could make or break their chances — but Cornyn needs it most right now.
✈️ News: Cornyn will fly with Trump on Air Force One to Texas on Friday, according to a Cornyn aide, as the president visits where flooding took the lives of more than 120 people.
Zoom in: The GOP establishment quickly pounced on the divorce bombshell.
- “What Ken Paxton has put his family through is truly repulsive and disgusting,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement.
- Another NRSC staffer reposted an old photo of John Cornyn and his wife, Sandy, celebrating an anniversary.
- SLF executive director Alex Latcham posted “Ezekiel 16:33,” a Bible verse referencing gifts to prostitutes.
Zoom out: The nasty primary has been giving Republicans heartburn for months.
- Paxton has been above 50% in some private polls. He survived an impeachment hearing in 2023, when Angela Paxton first heard the accusation that he had a mistress.
- Republican leaders have pledged to help Cornyn in his uphill battle, but everyone acknowledges it will be expensive.
🤠 The bottom line: If Paxton wins the primary, Democrats are convinced he’d be a weak candidate who could finally allow them to flip the Lone Star State blue.
