In a calculated political stunt, Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn is trying to reinvent himself as a fighter for election integrity and America First priorities.
Cornyn is facing a tough reelection in Texas as he faces off in the Republican primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In a savvy political move, Paxton tied his primary campaign to the passage of the SAVE America Act, promising to concede the race to Cornyn (avoiding a bloody and expensive primary battle) but only if the Senate passes the legislation.
In his desperation for President Donald Trump’s endorsement and to outflank Paxton, Cornyn has written an op-ed in the New York Post, titled, “Why the SAVE Act matters more than the filibuster.”
Democrats are weaponizing the Senate’s rules to block the SAVE America Act, defund @DHSgov, & hurt the American people to spite @POTUS.
@SenateGOP can either let Dems keep obstructing & smash the filibuster the first chance they get, or we can act now & use the mandate the…— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 11, 2026
The piece reads like he wants to convince Trump and Texas voters that he’s changed his stripes. Cornyn claims Democrats have already “dealt the filibuster a fatal blow” by repeatedly threatening to eliminate it. He argues Republicans shouldn’t let Democrats block the SAVE America Act now, only to have Democrats nuke the filibuster later when they’re in power. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)
“Today, Democrats are weaponizing the Senate’s rules to block the SAVE America Act, defund the Department of Homeland Security and hurt the American people — all to spite President Donald Trump. But they say openly that if these same rules ever get in Democrats’ way, they won’t hesitate to rip them up. A rule is only a rule if both sides follow it,” Cornyn stated.
“I believe that Democrats, with their votes and statements, have already dealt the filibuster a fatal blow: The Senate rules will change eventually, whether Republicans like it or not. This leaves conservatives with two options. We can either unilaterally disarm, or we can stand and fight,” he said.
Cornyn points to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s 2022 push to end the filibuster for their election takeover bill, and how only former Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (later an independent) stopped it before getting run out of D.C. by their party. He even notes Schumer’s 2024 comments about doing it again if Democrats regain the majority.
Leader Schumer & Democrats say they want to end the filibuster. They care nothing about good governance or the common-sense traditions of the Senate.
Just watch: they’ll pull a 180 with Republicans in the majority & Trump in the White House and will drop this demand like…
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 21, 2024
On the surface, Cornyn sounds like he’s had a political awakening. But where was this fighting spirit in 2024 when Cornyn was begging his GOP colleagues for their support for his leadership bid by promising to protect the filibuster?
In September 2024, Cornyn wrote a letter to GOP senators informing them that he was interested in taking over the majority leader position, which was soon to be vacated by retiring Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell. In it, he called anyone who wanted to get rid of the filibuster rule a “liberal activist.”
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 07: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks with press after meeting with Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner nominee, Rodney Scott in the Hart Senate Office Building on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Scott served in both the Trump and Biden administrations as the 24th chief of the United States Border Patrol from 2020 to 2024. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
“We must reject all attempts to nuke the legislative filibuster in the Senate. Liberal activists may like the idea of nuking the filibuster today, but they will rue the day when the shoe is on the other foot,” he wrote.
The problem for Cornyn is that his record over the last two decades in the Senate would look a lot different if he believed what he was saying.
During Trump’s first term in 2017, he wanted to get rid of the filibuster to pass bigger tax cuts and fund the wall faster, but Cornyn and his establishment buddies like McConnell said no, it’s too important for “minority rights.”
Now, with his seat on the line, Cornyn’s singing a different tune. Cornyn’s NYP op-ed isn’t the first time this midterm election cycle that primary pressure from Paxton’s campaign pushed him to soften his stance on protecting the filibuster.
Today Dems are trying to blow up the Senate for their own political gain by effectively eliminating the filibuster.
This important rule was designed to help Senators from both parties do something that doesn’t always come naturally: work together. pic.twitter.com/afkIOFoTcN
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 19, 2022
In November 2025, amid a government shutdown, when Trump intensified calls for Republicans to scrap or carve out the filibuster to pass spending bills, Paxton insisted the Senate eliminate the filibuster rule.
Cornyn then told the Dallas Morning News that he was “open to changes” for appropriations and continuing resolutions (CRs), while insisting Republicans lacked the votes for broader reform and framing full elimination as something he wasn’t ready to fully embrace.
“I’m open to changes, but obviously we need to get 51 Republicans to agree, and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that,” Cornyn said.
Paxton announcing he’d drop out if Congress passes the SAVE Act is political genius. It puts pressure on Republicans to act, shows he’s willing to make sacrifices for the cause, and directly appeals to Trump, who has demanded that the legislation be passed. The move likely bought him time before Trump officially endorses a candidate in the Texas primary runoff.
Cornyn supposedly appeared to be Trump’s pick before Paxton threw his political grenade onto the Senate floor. Cornyn’s trying to one-up him with his op-ed by saying, “Hey, I’m for the SAVE Act too, and I’ll even reform the filibuster to get it done!”
But Cornyn’s change of heart was likely caused by more than just Paxton’s defense of election legislation. Recent polling paints a grim picture for the incumbent, who is trailing Paxton in head-to-head matchups. A poll from Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR), conducted March 7 to 9, shows Paxton leading Cornyn 49 percent to 41 percent.
New poll of #TXSEN Republican primary runoff for Texas Public Opinion Research by Slingshot Strategies (D):
Paxton 49%
Cornyn 41
Undecided 11If Trump endorses Cornyn: Paxton +1
If Trump endorses Paxton: Paxton +26(March 7-8; 781 LVs; +/-3.9%)https://t.co/kFG2AZukAa
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) March 9, 2026
A key wildcard in the TPOR poll is Trump’s potential endorsement. If Trump backs Paxton, the attorney general’s lead balloons to 58 percent against Cornyn’s 32 percent. That’s a 26-point advantage that becomes almost impossible for Cornyn to overcome.
Still, even if Trump endorses Cornyn, Paxton still edges ahead 44 percent to 43 percent. While this puts Cornyn within the margin of error, he relies on a boost from moderate voters that might not materialize, given Paxton’s strength among former Texas primary challenger Rep. Wesley Hunt’s voters. Among voters who supported Hunt in the March 3 primary, 48 percent now back Paxton in the runoff, compared to 31 percent for Cornyn, the TPOR poll reported.
Another survey from Public Policy Polling, conducted March 4 to 5, reveals no clear electability advantage for either Republican candidate over Democratic candidate James Talarico, who cruised through his primary. Talarico leads Cornyn 44 percent to 43 percent and Paxton 47 percent to 45 percent, both within the margin of error. These razor-thin deficits indicate the GOP nominee will face a tough November regardless of who wins, but undercut Cornyn’s argument that he’s the safer choice.
Cornyn’s camp has leaned on this electability narrative, but the polls show it’s not swaying primary voters, who see him as the establishment’s pick.
Cornyn also chose to use the NYP rather than a Texas-based publication, such as the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, or the Texas Tribune. These outlets would place Cornyn’s message directly in front of constituents who decide Senate primaries, giving him greater visibility among those he’s trying to court, unless the point is that he isn’t trying to sway Texas voters. Begging the question: Who is Cornyn really trying to reach here? The NYP has a broader audience for sure, but it’s hard not to see this as a statement to influential figures in Republican circles, like those who would send his piece directly to Trump.
Interestingly, Cornyn’s op-ed went further than Paxton’s promise to drop out should the SAVE America Act pass. He also stated it would help Republicans end “other aspects of the far left’s obstruction.”
“Americans are being forced to wait in line for three hours at airport security checkpoints because the Democrats are blocking funding for homeland security and immigration law enforcement. Bad enough that Democrats’ political tantrum is ruining travelers’ days — but at this time of hostilities with Iran, their financial siege of DHS is not just inconvenient, it’s dangerous,” Cornyn wrote.
Cornyn is likely hoping that adding the extra carrot to his promise to support ending the filibuster is enough to push Trump into his camp. But Cornyn’s record on border security and national defense looks terrible to most true conservatives. He voted for almost every Biden administration bloated omnibus bill that funds sanctuary cities and open borders. (RELATED: Ken Paxton Gives Trump And Senate Ultimatum On Top-Priority Senate Race)
He picked the NYP for his op-ed for the same reason he flipped on his filibuster stance. He wants to whisper sweet-nothings in Trump’s ear in hopes that he becomes the chosen one. The president’s endorsement makes the race easier. But ultimately it’s the voters who will decide.
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