By now, Americans paying attention know four-term senator John Cornyn—that’s 24 years—of Texas lost his primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a landslide of 26-30 points, depending on which source one consults.
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Cornyn was one of the 118 politicians defeated by a Trump endorsement. Some are suggesting it was only that endorsement that defeated Cornyn, who was supposedly beating Paxton, or was tied with him. While there can be little doubt the endorsement played a role, and could have made the difference in a close race, it wasn’t close.
In the four-way primary race, 58% of Republican voters voted against Cornyn, and when he and Paxton advanced to the final contest, it was no contest.
Cornyn lost by 384,000 votes, or 27% of people voting. Nor was it a geographical narrow victory for Paxton. Cornyn lost everywhere… Cornyn won two counties: Liberal, politics-obsessed Travis County, where Cornyn won by just over 2,000 votes, and (as commenter FM noted) rural coastal Kenedy County, the third least populous county in the state with 350 people, where Cornyn won by all of 6 votes to 2. If there’s ever been such a geographically dominant statewide victory in a runoff, I can’t remember it. (Dan Patrick walloped David Dewhurst by a slightly larger margin in the 2014 Lt. Governor runoff, but Dewhurst still won more counties than Cornyn did.)
Graphic: X Post
Despite Trump’s wishes and his offer to withhold endorsement, or even to endorse Cornyn in exchange for the Senate killing the filibuster and passing the 80/20 popular SAVE Act, congressional Republicans instead poured $100+ million into that single Senate race to save Cornyn, blowing it all and losing their reliably establishment, and sometimes anti-Trump, pal. Oddly enough, Cornyn was one of the sponsors of the SAVE Act but did little or nothing to encourage the Senate to pass it.
So, why did he lose so badly?
No, the reason that Cornyn lost was because Texas Republicans were finally well and truly tired of him. Cornyn’s playing footsie with illegal alien amnesty while claiming he was against amnesty was one of the biggest reasons voters rejected him.
There’s being rejected by voters, then there’s being absolutely embarrassed.
That’s what we saw in Texas last night. John Cornyn, who outspent his opponent Texas AG Ken Paxton 10-1, was absolutely wrecked at the polls.
No incumbent senator has done worse than Cornyn in half a century, and no other election in U.S. history has seen two incumbent senators voted out in the same election.
Cornyn’s holdout on the SAVE Act, his pro-amnesty leanings, and his refusal to push Trump’s agenda, along with Ken Paxton’s statewide popularity and effectiveness totally sealed the deal.
Surprisingly to anyone but Texans, Hispanics heavily supported Paxton:
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The population of Hidalgo County, Texas, is almost 100% Hispanic. Like many other similar counties, it had heavy support for Paxton.
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If you spend any time with Hispanic Americans, you will know that they hate people who cheat the system with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. I am told this makes them racist.
In a not-so different time and age, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) would still be considered one of the good guys: As a pro-life conservative who voted with President Donald Trump 99.2% of the time, just a generation earlier, he would’ve been lauded as one of our most staunchly conservative, reliably Republican senators.
And not just reliably Republican: He’s reliably a winner, too. Sen. Cornyn hadn’t lost an election in 42 years.
Yet last night, this four-term senator with a 42-year winning streak was smooshed like a bug, winning just 36% of the vote in his Republican primary runoff. Nearly two-thirds of his constituents rejected him!
GOP politicians beware: The rules for Republican Party membership ain’t what they once were. Violate the new rules at your own peril.
Donald Trump is no fascist authoritarian. Not in Texas and not in Indiana. All 118 politicians lost their jobs, only partially because Trump wanted them to. They mostly lost because, as so many politicians do, they thought they were the masters of the people who elected them, not their hired hands who could be fired when they didn’t deliver. They thought they could go back on the promises they made that got them elected. They were badly mistaken and won’t be missed.
Cornyn lost because he didn’t change with the times. Democrats don’t want compromise. They want to fundamentally change America and will do whatever is necessary, legal or illegal, to win. Normal Americans understand that and know they must fight like Trump. Republicans like John Cornyn, who aren’t fighters, are electoral losers.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer, and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.