'Has anybody seen John Cornyn here?': Ken Paxton trolls Senate runoff opponent at CPAC
Cornyn is in DC 'working to fully fund DHS and pass the Save America Act,' staff says
Quick Summary
- Ken Paxton trolled John Cornyn at CPAC, asking the crowd if they had seen him.
- Cornyn's staff claps back, says he's in DC to fund DHS, pass the Save America Act
- Paxton has a slight lead in polls ahead of the May 26 runoff for the Republican Senate nomination.
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Hundreds of Republicans and conservative activists cheered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and voiced support for his campaign for U.S. Senate and booed any mention of his runoff opponent, longtime U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference last week.
Paxton, 63, delivered a high-profile keynote address at CPAC’s Ronald Reagan Dinner on March 27 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, where Texas’ top prosecutor took aim at Cornyn’s absence.
“I have been looking for somebody since I got here earlier today, and I was wondering if you all could help me find this guy,” he asked the crowd. “I heard he was invited, but really, I've walked all around this place, and I cannot find this guy. So, has anybody seen John Cornyn here? Because I have not seen him.”
Cornyn and Paxton failed to secure a majority of the vote in the state’s Republican Primary on March 3, forcing a May 26 runoff vote for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.
Addressing the Senate race, Paxton criticized Cornyn's decades in office. “I've been watching John Cornyn for a long time. ... He's been in office over four decades,” said Paxton. “He's running for U.S. Senate for his fifth term. Nobody in Texas history has ever done that.”
He pressed the CPAC crowd to consider Cornyn’s record and whether it has benefited the state of Texas. “Let's take the whole 40-plus years of John Cornyn's career, and let me ask you a question: Can anybody in the room name one good accomplishment in 40-plus years? Do you know I've never gotten an answer to that question, and I've been doing this for a year?”
Paxton drew a sharp contrast between himself and his opponent, and pointed to Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz — who also spoke at CPAC and has so far declined to make an endorsement in the race — as a lawmaker that faithfully represents the Lone Star State.
“We need a Senate that takes care of us, not Washington. And we need a senator in Texas that acts more like Ted Cruz than John Cornyn,” said Paxton. “Instead of having a senator that represents Washington, D.C., we're going to have a senator from Texas that represents Texas and the values of the Republican Party.”
After announcing official straw poll results that showed Paxton with a sizable advantage over Cornyn among likely CPAC voters, the conference officially endorsed Paxton Saturday night.
A March 19 poll from Change Research found 42% of likely Texas GOP primary voters back Paxton, while only 39% favor Cornyn. According to the poll, Paxton leads with Evangelical voters among Republicans, while Cornyn leads with voters over 65, non-”MAGA Republicans” and non-Evangelical voters.
Expressing confidence ahead of the May 26 runoff, Paxton pointed to what he said were historic trends leaning in his favor. “In Texas, runoffs tend to favor the most conservative person,” he said. “More of them go to me than they do John Cornyn. ... I promise you this, instead of having a senator that represents Washington, D.C., we're going to have a senator from Texas.”
A spokesman for Cornyn’s campaign told The Christian Post on Monday that the senator was not in attendance at CPAC for legislative reasons.
“Sen. Cornyn was in D.C. working to fully fund [the Department of Homeland Security] and pass the Save America Act, of which he is an original cosponsor,” Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak told CP.
The candidate who wins the May 26 GOP runoff vote will face Democrat state Rep. James Talarico in November.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
