Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) was gracious on the night he lost in the primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate race. He said he had always supported the Republican ticket and would continue to do so.
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But it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride since he made that statement, and it hasn’t been good.
He posted on X, “Rut roh,” while sharing an article that said, “Libertarian Ted Brown courts disaffected conservative voters in Texas’ U.S. Senate race.” That got a lot of blowback, and he later insisted that he hadn’t posted that to support the libertarian.
READ MORE: What the Heck? John Cornyn’s New Post About TX Senate Race Is Raising Eyebrows
Then he went to the NY Times — because going to the NY Times to air out your grievances is what a real conservative does, right? As Stephen Kruiser at our sister site PJ Media observed, “Nothing says, ‘I’m still on your side, GOP!’ like hiding behind the skirt of the Gray Lady.”
Cornyn was asked about President Donald Trump saying they would remain friends with Cornyn despite Trump supporting Paxton, who was more aligned with Trump on policy.
“If that’s the way friends treat you, you wonder about his enemies,” Mr. Cornyn groused.
“I think it is going to be a pretty bumpy ride for the next seven months,” he warned.
“It does give some of us a little more freedom, and certainly leverage,” he said, before invoking Mr. Trump’s notoriously heated Oval Office meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine last year. “As the president told President Zelensky when he was in his office a year or so ago — he said, ‘You don’t have any cards.’ Well, we’ve got some cards to play.”
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Again, not gracious. At all.
Cornyn told them he was still determined to help Republicans hold the Senate. Yet what he’s doing is pushing in the opposite direction. We’re in an existential battle with Democrats pulling out all the stops and promising retribution. Cornyn’s actions now are just proving Trump was right.
READ MORE: Dems Plotting Revenge for When, Not If, They Take Over Congress This Fall
On top of that, attacking “get out the vote” champion Scott Presler, who is very appreciated for all his efforts, is a truly bad idea. Scott posted how he ran into Cornyn at the airport and asked him to pass the SAVE America Act.
Just had a conversation with Senator John Cornyn at the airport.
I was very gracious & asked him to pass the SAVE America Act.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) June 11, 2026
This was the response from Cornyn’s account.
Grifter https://t.co/Nu22P8OXGp
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 11, 2026
Wow. Talk about a bad take. And he wonders why he lost?
Scott was typically gracious in his reply, stressing that we all should be concentrated on winning in November and securing elections.
Dear Senator Cornyn,
I approached you respectfully at the airport, extending my hand & introducing myself.
We were at the ticket gate with literally dozens of witnesses — passengers inches away.
Despite a quib reply back from you, I kept things professional & focused on the…
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) June 12, 2026
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Dear Senator Cornyn,
I approached you respectfully at the airport, extending my hand & introducing myself.
We were at the ticket gate with literally dozens of witnesses — passengers inches away.
Despite a quib reply back from you, I kept things professional & focused on the SAVE America Act.
While I respect that you say you want to ensure wins this November, I speak for millions when I say that voters will be more likely to vote upon the passage of the SAVE America Act.
Voters see what’s happening in California & wonder why our Senate isn’t doing everything in its power to secure our elections.
Did you know that former Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R-CA) lost by 653 votes in 2024? Did you know that former Congressman John Duarte (R-CA) lost by 187 votes?
I have no doubt that the SAVE America Act would have prevented these losses.
Why are we normalizing an expectation for California to count votes for weeks after Election Day — like Spencer Pratt’s election.
In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections found 34,000 dead voters on the voter rolls — fact-check me. (CC: Senator Tillis)
How can Americans have confidence in our elections & how are Americans going to be inspired to vote if you don’t legislate as the majority?
Last — & I mean this with the utmost of respect — for the $150 million that was spent on the Texas Senate primary/runoff, we could have built massive voter registration/get out the vote operations in every single swing state.
While I understand it might be difficult to contemplate an American citizen doing this work because it’s the right thing to do, I’m proud to say that I don’t take PAC $ — not even from my own organization.
I can’t be bought, which frustrates the political establishment. My one singular mission is doing right by the American people and delivering legislative wins that the popular vote delivered in 2024.
I’m on the way to the Texas GOP Convention to help ensure all of our Republican candidates win this November — I hope you’ll do the same.
I hope you’ll do the right thing & encourage your colleagues to pass the SAVE America Act — let’s win big.
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Cornyn earned a big backlash, and just made people more angry at him.
Out of all the people on this app…
Scott Pressler is absolutely NOT a grifter.
He puts in SO MUCH WORK… one of the few who works JUST AS HARD as he cares.
He’s one of the good ones, you should be ashamed of yourself.
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) June 12, 2026
Scott spends more time registering and talking to GOP voters than anyone I know. It’s how he knows that they are furious over the failure to pass the Save Act, a fury I have also encountered. Maybe try listening to him instead of insulting him. https://t.co/zsUNr1XfQW
— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) June 12, 2026
Cornyn later got in an X back and forth with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), saying he had co-sponsored the SAVE America Act, but they didn’t have the votes, and “Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November.”
Mike, I am a co-sponsor and have repeatedly voted for this but you don’t have the votes. @LeaderJohnThune can’t change that. It is math. Try focusing on Democrats instead of Republicans. Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November. https://t.co/pPsx67mkii
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 12, 2026
Has he looked at his own remarks? How is he helping win the majority with what he’s been doing?
Cornyn has a simple choice. If he truly believes in conservative principles and wants to do what’s best for the people of Texas — and I say this as someone who votes in Texas — he should do all that he can to prevent James Talarico from winning and helping Democrats in their attempt to grab the Senate. It isn’t even about Paxton or Trump; it’s about what’s best for us. That’s what he’s supposed to care about.
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