John Cornyn lost his primary to a Trump candidate and has been sulking ever since.
Not every Republican senator is sitting on the sidelines.
What John Kennedy just admitted about three red states should have Republicans reaching for the phone.
John Kennedy Fires Up Nebraska Steak Fry for Pete Ricketts
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy headlined Sen. Pete Ricketts' annual steak fry luncheon in Nebraska, and he wasted no time reminding the crowd why Washington needs more of him.
"I'm a United States senator," Kennedy told the packed room, "though every day I try to rise above that."
Kennedy cracked that without farmers, Americans would be "hungry, naked, and sober" – a line that landed hard in a state where agriculture drives one in four jobs.
He went full Kennedy on the Louisiana-Nebraska cultural divide: "When you pass a ditch here in Nebraska, you look at it and say, 'Oh, there's a ditch.' In Louisiana, we see dinner." He closed with: "I love Nebraska better than s*x. Not really, but I love Nebraska!"
Nebraska Republicans gave him the room.
Kennedy Warns That Nebraska Senate Race 2026 Is Closer Than Republicans Think
"All of the good work we're doing in D.C. is at risk because the D.C. Democrats have lost their minds," Kennedy said, putting down the punchlines and picking up something sharper.
Kennedy told the crowd he is spending time campaigning in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa – three states that should be automatic Republican wins. "If you told me six months ago I was gonna be having to spend my time in those three states, I wouldn't have believed you," he said. "Those ought to be fat guy layups for us – the races are close."
While Kennedy is crisscrossing the country for the GOP, Texas Sen. John Cornyn is doing the opposite.
Cornyn lost his primary to Trump-backed Ken Paxton, then told a reporter Trump would have the "most miserable two years of his life," and skipped the Republican midterm convention in September – telling colleagues he "may have a conflict."
He has declined to campaign for Paxton and has made clear he is sitting out the fight.
Kennedy and Ricketts ran down what Republicans have delivered: gutted regulations strangling small businesses, illegal immigration cut to the bone, new housing legislation to reduce costs, bigger tax refunds for working families, and the One Big, Beautiful Bill locking in tax cuts that would have expired and gutted middle-class paychecks. Kennedy is in Nebraska because that record needs defending – and because he is one of the few willing to do the defending.
Dan Osborn Leaked Audio Exposes the Democrat Behind the Independent Label
Nebraska Democrats figured out a long time ago that their label is toxic in a state Trump carried by 20 points.
Rather than run a candidate under the Democrat banner, party leaders endorsed Dan Osborn outright and cleared the field – letting him run as an "independent" while Democrat money and Democrat organizations quietly lined up behind him.
Nebraska voters were handed the illusion of a race between a Republican and a true independent. It was never that.
Osborn built his entire campaign on a working-class populist pitch – the union man who feels the pain of regular Nebraskans, beholden to nobody. T
hen the Omaha World-Herald published audio of Osborn mocking Trump supporters as people whose "lives probably suck." When CNN's Dana Bash played it and asked if he was the speaker, Osborn said, "It sure sounds like me."
He called the remarks out of character, suggested that people say things when they are angry, and extended a conditional apology to anyone who might be offended.
Nebraska voters were not impressed.
The Washington Examiner reported that Osborn, pressed directly, acknowledged that his views line up with the Democrat Party on most major issues – including a push to codify unlimited abortion nationwide. The Examiner also noted he sided with open-borders agitators who targeted ICE officers in Minneapolis rather than the officers themselves.
Trump called him a "Radical Left Open Border Extremist" months ago on Truth Social. Nebraska voters are finding out he was right.
Kennedy's appearance Sunday put every Republican in the state on notice: the Democrats have shown their hand, and the margin for complacency is gone.
Pete Ricketts won his special election by 25 points, has the Trump endorsement, and a record worth running on. Kennedy is now barnstorming three red states that should never require his time.
Republicans need to listen – and show up.
Sources:
- Nick Arama, "Pure Gold: Sen. Kennedy Lights Up Nebraska Steak Fry for Ricketts With His Humor," RedState, September 20, 2026.
- Aleena Fayaz, "Nebraska Senate Candidate Responds to Leaked Audio Criticizing Trump Voters," CNN/KEYT, September 16, 2026.
- "Democrats Rely on 'Independent' Senate Candidate Dan Osborn," Washington Examiner, August 25, 2026.
- "Independent Dan Osborn Launches Another Nebraska Senate Run," NBC News, July 8, 2025.
- "Trump Endorses Pete Ricketts," Truth Social/ABC17 News, 2025.