Republican strategist Karl Rove in 2015 (Creative Commons)
Flawed Texas senatorial candidate Ken Paxton is already riding a bumpy train to Congress, especially with a likeable and photogenic Democrat. But a series of damaging leaks of private conversations and public details of his marriage philandering is doing nothing to help things.
But now, NBC News says sources inside the Paxton campaign are certain the GOP old guard is also working to sabotage Paxton’s race.
“There’s no doubt on our end that John Cornyn and Karl Rove are working against us,” a Republican working on Paxton’s race said when asked about damaging private conversations leaked to media outlets. “They’d rather be able to say ‘told you so’” than risk a Democrat winning the seat, added the person, who, like others in this article, was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Cornyn could have legitimate hard feelings against the Paxton enclave. Cornyn lost his primary for the Republican Senate nomination in a painful upset to Paxton, but only after President Donald Trump unexpectedly endorsed Paxton. It did not appear to matter to Trump that Cornyn had voted with the president on almost every major issue. Trump considered Paxton more loyal due to his far-right views. And the resentful president may hold hard feelings after Cornyn jumped ship against Trump’s attempt to derail the 2020 election that he lost.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has systematically targeted GOP lawmakers deemed insufficiently loyal, orchestrating primary challenges against sitting senators and representatives. Notable victims include Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who lost his primary after voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial, and Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who challenged Trump on government spending and the Epstein files. Trump has also threatened Senators Rand Paul and Lauren Boebert for supporting Massie.
Many of Cornyn's fellow Republicans were disappointed by Trump's actions in Texas, and now Paxton’s campaign smells what they feel are hard feelings aggravating a series of damning leaks.
“Many in Paxton’s corner are convinced those aligned with Cornyn are trying to tank his chances, while other Republicans say Paxton’s negatives are so high and his litany of scandals so long that few want to associate with him,” reports NBC News. “They also say it was incumbent on Paxton and the groups supporting him to smooth things over with Cornyn, who pledged to endorse the Republican ticket without specifying Paxton.”
Even sources that are struggling to stay neutral are convinced that both sides are “laying the groundwork” to cast blame if Democrat James Talarico ends up claiming the Senate seat.
Cornyn’s camp adamantly denies the accusations.
“If Sen. Cornyn wanted Ken to lose, I can assure you he’d be more active in the campaign,” Cornyn strategist Rob Jesmer told CNN. “He has said he supports the Republican ticket. Given all Ken has said and done, I think that’s a pretty good place for Sen. Cornyn to be.”
But NBC News reports Paxton himself has said Cornyn isn’t in his corner, according to recently leaked audio.
“He’s clearly not helping. He wants me to lose,” Paxton said at a recent fundraiser, according to leaked audio of the event obtained by CNN, the fifth such leak from that fundraiser in recent weeks.