Donald Trump Pressures Texas GOP: Runoff Loser Should ‘DROP OUT’ After Endorsement
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he may consider dropping out of the Republican Senate runoff but only if Senate Republicans first pass a major voter-ID bill tied to President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities.
The statement comes as Trump prepares to endorse a candidate in the closely watched Texas runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, a decision that could reshape the race.
Paxton wrote on social media that he would consider exiting the race if Senate Republicans abolished the filibuster and passed the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls, according to The Texas Tribune.
The proposal immediately injected new tension into a contest already dominated by Trump’s looming endorsement and pressure from national Republican leaders to unify behind a single candidate.
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Trump said this week he will endorse either Paxton or Cornyn and expects the candidate he does not back to step aside “for the good of the Party,” after the two Republicans finished less than two points apart in the primary.
“The people in Washington can have their own opinion… but we’re going to win this race in the runoff,” Paxton said in an interview cited by The Texas Tribune.
The runoff has become a proxy fight inside the Republican Party, with Cornyn backed by many Senate leaders who argue he is the stronger general-election candidate, while Paxton has positioned himself as the more aggressive Trump-aligned conservative.
Neither candidate secured a majority in the March primary, forcing a May 26 runoff that could determine whether the GOP enters the general election unified or divided.
Trump’s expected endorsement and whether either candidate would actually withdraw is likely to shape the next phase of the race.
For now, the Texas Senate contest remains one of the most closely watched Republican primaries of the 2026 cycle.
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