Texas Senator John Cornyn is set to join a group of Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, for a border visit on Friday aimed at promoting his party’s policies on border security and the economy. However, it remains uncertain if this will be sufficient for him to secure reelection.
Thune, leading the trip to McAllen, Texas, expressed his full support for Cornyn’s re-election in a recent interview. Cornyn, a senator since 2002, is engaged in a tough and expensive three-way primary race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt. “He is a very capable senator for Texas and, in our opinion, he is the most electable Republican in this year’s Senate race,” Thune stated.
Thune is aiming to expand the Senate Republican majority of 53 seats in the upcoming midterm elections and oversees several spending organizations that have invested millions to support Cornyn’s campaign.
While Thune has made efforts to lobby President Trump, who has not yet endorsed anyone in this contest, he mentioned, “I didn’t want to get involved, but if I did, it would obviously make a big difference.”
The primary race could lead to a runoff in May, with the three candidates likely to fragment the vote. It’s crucial, as a lengthy primary might drain resources needed for contests in Georgia and Michigan, along with efforts to secure a Republican-held seat in North Carolina.
Current predictions indicate that if the election were held now, Cornyn and Paxton would be the leading candidates based on polling data.
In a recent statement, Paxton criticized Cornyn’s planned visit, alleging that it reflects Cornyn’s betrayal of Trump’s policies on border security. “He’s trying to rewrite history just months before his career ends,” said Paxton. “Texans will never forget this.”
Cornyn’s campaign highlighted his past votes aligning with Trump’s America First agenda, notably supporting tax cuts earlier this year.
Though Thune has not managed to curb the competitive primary in Texas, he underscored that he is working with Trump to facilitate campaigns in critical battlegrounds. Thune has supported candidates like Michael Whatley and Mike Rogers in North Carolina and Michigan, respectively.
The political group One Nation, sponsoring this border trip, also plans to involve Whatley and Rogers.
Thune articulated the necessity of presenting a strong candidate for the general election, ensuring that they have someone who can win.
The group traveling to the border includes notable Republican senators like Jon Husted from Ohio and Ashley Moody from Florida.
This border visit also serves as a chance for Republicans to promote Trump’s key legislative achievement, often referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or the “Working Families Tax Relief Act.” This bill was designed to showcase various tax benefits that the party believes voters should be aware of.
Despite having passed a tax and spending bill over the summer, many acknowledge that conveying that message effectively to voters has been a struggle. “We’re still not getting the facts across well enough,” Thune remarked, especially as Democrats have been vocal in their criticisms of the bill. He expressed optimism that with the election season upon them, Republicans have a chance to differentiate themselves from the Democratic Party.
Trump’s budget law allocates $170 billion specifically for border security and immigration control, including substantial funding to expand jobs within Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to continue constructing the southern border wall. No Democratic lawmakers supported this legislation.
The funding also includes provisions for reimbursing border states for expenses related to former President Biden’s immigration policies. Recently, Customs and Border Protection reported that they had not released any illegal immigrants into the U.S. for several months.
Lastly, Republicans are also looking to challenge Democratic opposition to tax benefits within this budget law, anticipating that many of these changes will take effect in the near future, potentially resulting in sizeable refunds for American taxpayers this year.
Thune summed up the Republican stance: “Democrats supported a massive tax increase, while we opposed it.”
