Ted Cruz remains neutral in the Texas Senate runoff between Cornyn and Paxton
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Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is staying neutral in the heated GOP race for the Senate nomination in Texas between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“I love John. I love Ken. They’re both my friends. I’ve supported both of them in the past. I’ve worked closely with both of them. I’ve endorsed both of them. I’ve campaigned with both of them, so I’m staying out,” the three-term conservative firebrand senator said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
The winner of the May 26 Republican primary will face Democratic Rep. James Talarico in this fall’s general election in a close race that could determine whether the GOP keeps its Senate majority through the terms. The GOP currently controls the chamber, 53–47.
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Acting Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, left, faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP’s worst election. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cornyn edged Paxton by a point in the March 3 primary, as they are the top two contenders in a crowded field of Republican candidates. But with none of the fierce rivals breaking the 50% threshold to win the nomination, the race went into overtime.
Although some of Cruz’s top political advisers support Paxton, the senator refuses to take sides.
“I trust the voters of Texas to make this decision,” the senator said.
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Talarico, who is considered a rising star of the Democratic Party, has promoted Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in her party’s primary. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.
Democratic state Sen. James Talarico speaks to supporters on the first night, in Austin, Texas, March 3, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs have spent huge sums of money to run ads attacking Paxton, saying Democrats will flip seats in the general election if Paxton is the GOP nominee.
Cornyn, his partners, and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, has repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal troubles that have dogged Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing divorce.
Paxton, a longtime supporter and ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA firebrand who has garnered national attention for filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, pushed back with repeated questions about Cornyn’s credentials and past support for Trump.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican representing the U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary election viewing party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
The president, whose presence is prominent in the battles for the Republican nomination, did not take sides during the primary campaign.
Hours after Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the race, Trump took to social media to announce, “I will make my Confirmation soon.”
Trump added that Trump added that “he will be asking the candidate that I do not encourage him to GET OUT OF OFFICE!”
All signs at the time pointed to Trump endorsing Cornyn.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks to the media on the first night, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Myer/AP)
But more than three weeks since he posted on social media, Trump remains neutral. And that has the MAGA faithful, many of whom support Paxton, hoping the president will drop out of the race, which would be a huge victory for the Texas attorney general.
Paxton went to the president’s Mar-a-Lago residence last weekend for a Palm Beach County GOP dinner, where he met briefly with President Trump, two sources with knowledge of the meeting confirmed to Fox News Digital. One of the sources called it a ‘run-in’ between Trump and Paxton. This news was first reported by Politico.
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There has been a lack of public opinion polls during the process, but two polls that have been released suggest Paxton has a single-digit lead.
The race between Cornyn and Paxton is viewed by many Republicans as a battle between the world’s MAGA and the grassroots against the establishment of the soul of the GOP.
