John Cornyn lost the Texas primary by 28 points and has spent every day bashing Ken Paxton.
Then a stranger at a Dallas restaurant tried to thank him for supporting the ticket.
What he said next explains exactly what he is trying to accomplish.
John Cornyn Has Refused to Help Ken Paxton Win the Texas Senate Race
The day after losing, Texas Senator John Cornyn stood before cameras and pledged to support the Republican ticket.
That lasted about three months.
By August, Cornyn was on the record with the Texas Tribune calling Paxton "a poor campaigner" who is "lazy and doesn't raise money." He announced he was directing his $14 million fundraising network toward Republican Senate candidates in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Alaska.
Not Texas.
In September, George W. Bush and Cornyn co-hosted a fundraiser for six Republican Senate nominees from around the country. Paxton was deliberately left off the invitation.
Cornyn warned publicly that Texas is "shaping up to be a close, and I hope not disastrous, election" – then kept writing checks for candidates in other states.
Democrat James Talarico has raised more than $68 million for the race and has outspent Paxton in direct advertising by nearly 200-to-1.
Cornyn knows those numbers. He's choosing to help Alaska anyway.
What Cornyn Told a Stranger at a Dallas Restaurant
Paxton called Cornyn twice, texted him repeatedly, and offered to sit down in person. Cornyn never responded.
Then a friend of Paxton's happened to be dining near Cornyn at Cafe Pacifica restaurant in Dallas. The friend paid for Cornyn's dessert and approached the senator to thank him for his years of service – and to acknowledge that it showed real character to be supporting Ken Paxton and the Republican ticket.
Cornyn's face went red.
"Paxton is going to lose," Cornyn told the stranger. "We need to teach those Republicans a lesson. It's going to be hard to learn, but they need to, they need to know that their decisions have consequences. And we need to make sure they understand that."
Paxton described the exchange on audio released this week: "He's clearly not helping. He wants me to lose."
John Cornyn is actively working to hand his own state's Senate seat to a Democrat because Texas Republicans had the nerve to vote him out.
https://twitter.com/PollTracker2024/status/2108519697368940698
How John Cornyn Is Helping James Talarico Flip the Texas Senate
James Talarico is a far-left Austin state representative who would arrive in Washington as a rubber stamp for Chuck Schumer.
Cook Political Report rates this race a toss-up. Republicans have poured more than $100 million in outside money into Texas just to keep it competitive – money that could have gone to flipping seats elsewhere.
Karl Rove made the establishment's view clear at the Texas Tribune Festival in September.
"If John Cornyn were the nominee, this race would be over," Rove said. He then told the crowd that Ted Cruz had reached out to him saying Republicans were losing – and that Paxton himself had sent multiple emails asking for help.
The Bush wing of the Republican Party knows exactly what is happening in Texas. None of them are doing anything about it.
Cornyn spent 24 years in the Senate, served as Senate Republican Whip, chaired the NRSC, and built one of the most powerful fundraising networks in Texas Republican politics. Every penny of it is going somewhere other than Texas.
After the primary, Paxton thanked Cornyn for his service, called for Republicans to unite, and said he would welcome Cornyn's help.
Cornyn responded by calling him lazy to a newspaper, holding a Bush fundraiser that benefited six other Republican nominees, and telling a stranger over dinner that Republicans need to be punished for how they voted.
The man who built his career telling Texas he was one of them is spending his last months in office trying to make sure Texas elects a Democrat.
Texas conservatives have three weeks to decide if they are going to let John Cornyn teach them one.
Sources:
- Jeff Charles, "He Wants Me to Lose: Ken Paxton Exposes Cornyn's Revenge Plot," Townhall, October 9, 2026.
- "John Cornyn calls Ken Paxton 'lazy' and a 'poor campaigner' in explanation of Texas campaign trail absence," Washington Examiner, August 28, 2026.
- "John Cornyn is raising money for competitive Senate races — just not in Texas," Texas Tribune, August 28, 2026.
- "Republican fundraiser hosts George Bush, John Cornyn for Senate candidates, omits Paxton," Philadelphia Inquirer, September 22, 2026.
- "Paxton Defeats Cornyn in Texas Senate Primary," Daily Signal, May 26, 2026.
- Karl Rove, remarks at the Texas Tribune Festival, September 26, 2026.