Republican Establishment Must Support Ken Paxton After His Decisive Primary Victory Over Cornyn
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "John Cornyn Is Owed No Revenge at the Expense of His Own Party | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." September 3, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that John Cornyn and Republican establishment figures need to stop sabotaging Ken Paxton's Senate campaign just because they're bitter about losing the primary. Paxton won by a landslide despite being massively outspent, and now that he's the nominee, party insiders should be helping him win the general election instead of hoarding money and refusing to campaign for him.
Conclusion
John Cornyn and the GOP establishment must stop undermining Ken Paxton and fully support him as the party's Senate nominee, rather than continuing to withhold resources and endorsements out of personal grievance.
Premises
- Paxton decisively defeated Cornyn 63.8% to 36.2% in the primary runoff, despite being outspent by $80 million, representing a clear repudiation of Cornyn by Republican voters
- Cornyn had multiple opportunities to prove his value to voters (including passing the SAVE Act, which he failed to deliver despite his Senate seniority) and still lost decisively
- Despite the primary loss, Cornyn and establishment Republicans have continued to withhold support from Paxton (refusing to campaign for him, NRSC/SLF withholding ad money) while campaigning for other Republican candidates
- This lack of establishment support has allowed Democrat James Talarico to outspend Paxton 200-to-1 in the general election, yet Paxton remains competitive
- Paxton has a strong track record as Attorney General (100+ lawsuits against Biden administration, wins against Meta, defense of conservative policy positions) demonstrating his effectiveness
- Historical/political fundamentals favor Paxton winning in deep-red Texas regardless of establishment help, similar to Cruz's 2018 win against O'Rourke
- The 'moral fitness' arguments against Paxton (impeachment, marital issues) were already litigated by voters who re-elected him, making them illegitimate grounds for continued opposition
Assumptions
- Party unity after a primary should override personal or factional grievances among Republican elites
- Primary election results represent the definitive will of the voters and should be respected by party insiders
- Electability arguments made by the losing establishment candidate's camp are inherently suspect given their track record
- The survival of Republican political power in Texas (and by extension the country) outweighs concerns about individual candidate character
- Establishment Republicans are motivated primarily by personal animus/revenge rather than legitimate policy concerns about Paxton