Pastor Robert Jeffress won't endorse in Cornyn-Paxton runoff, but says Evangelicals 'unified' against Talarico

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, May 21, 2026

Pastor Robert Jeffress says he believes Evangelical voters in Texas will ultimately rally behind whichever Republican wins next Tuesday’s closely watched U.S. Senate primary runoff, as new polling points to a potentially competitive general election battle with Democratic nominee James Talarico.

On Tuesday, the second day into early voting before the runoff election on May 26, President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary instead of his opponent, four-term Sen. John Cornyn. 

Paxton and Cornyn are locked in a tight battle for the Republican nomination in a race that will determine who faces Talarico in the general election on Nov. 3.

Evangelicals are a significant voting bloc in this election, which is why in March, ahead of the runoff, Cornyn announced the launch of a Faith Advisory Council that includes Jeffress and Pastors Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, and Max Lucado of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, among others. While being named to Cornyn's advisory council was not tantamount to an endorsement, some churchgoing voters saw it as such, particularly since Lucado had endorsed Cornyn weeks before the council's launch. 

Given how closely Evangelical voters are watching this U.S. Senate race as they endure an onslaught of attack ads during the final stretch of voting, The Christian Post reached out to both Graham, who declined to comment, and Jeffress, who was willing to weigh in on the latest developments in the race, but stressed that he is not endorsing anyone in this runoff. 

“People are diversified in their opinion of President Trump’s endorsement of Paxton, but they seem unified in the belief that James [Talarico] cannot be the next senator from Texas,” Jeffress said.

Read: Q&A: Cornyn, Paxton talk faith, EPIC City and who can best defeat Talarico

Despite Texas’ red lean in 2024, polls suggest the U.S. Senate race will be competitive regardless of whether Cornyn or Paxton is the nominee. 

The RealClearPolitics average of polls examining voter sentiment in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Cornyn and Talarico shows Talarico beating Cornyn by 0.5 percentage points. In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Paxton and Talarico, Talarico leads by 1.5 percentage points. 

Responding to the polls showing Talarico beating both Cornyn and Paxton in head-to-head matchups, Jeffress pushed back on the idea that a Democrat has a chance of winning a U.S. Senate seat in Texas this year. “Anything’s possible, but this is not probable yet. I think Texas is still largely conservative, and they would have trouble with electing James Talarico, not because he’s a Democrat, but because he embraces viewpoints such as on gender issues that are completely antithetical to conservative Christians.” 

Talarico, a state representative and outspoken liberal Christian Democrat, has drawn criticism from some conservatives over his controversial comments about Jesus, transgenderism and his attacks on orthodox Christian theology when it comes to traditional marriage and human sexuality. (Read CP's coverage of Talarico here, here and here.)

Reiterating to CP that he has no plans to make an endorsement ahead of the runoff, Jeffress said, “I usually do not get involved in runoffs and … in fact, in history, have endorsed very few candidates for any office except for president.” 

When asked what guidance he would offer conservative Christian voters struggling with their decision, Jeffress emphasized civic participation and biblical values.

“We have a responsibility to vote, and sometimes we have to vote for the best available candidate,” Jeffress said. “No candidate is perfect, just as no pastor or Christian layman is perfect. Everyone has flaws, but I think you have to look past the flaws to see which candidate best represents your values and, more importantly, biblical values.”

“I think we need to, as Christians, especially … respect the right of people, even fellow Christians, to disagree with us and us with them,” he added. “But I think ultimately we need to exercise our God-given ability to vote, but remember that this is not the end of the world kind of vote. It’s an important vote. But the most important thing to remember is for us as Christians to keep embracing our faith and practicing our faith.”

Cornyn received 42.5% of the vote during the first round of voting in March, finishing narrowly ahead of Paxton’s 40.8%, forcing a runoff after neither candidate secured enough votes to win the nomination. The current RealClearPolitics average of polls measuring voters’ intentions in the runoff shows Paxton narrowly leading with 45.5% of the vote to Cornyn’s 42.3%. 

The Texas race could also play a key role in determining which party controls the U.S. Senate during the final two years of Trump’s presidency.

Republicans currently hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Democrats would need to gain at least four Republican-held seats without losing any seats of their own to retake control of the upper chamber.

RealClearPolitics polling averages of the most closely watched Senate races show Democrats leading Republicans in Republican-held seats in Maine and North Carolina, while the Republican candidate either ties or is beating his potential Democratic opponents in Michigan. Polls compiled by RealClearPolitics also point to tight races in Alaska and Iowa, where the races are nearly tied. Republican senators currently lead polling in Florida and Ohio, while Democrats lead in Democrat-held seats in Georgia and New Hampshire.