President Donald Trump's efforts to replace Republican critics with loyalists have backfired, as some of those lawmakers whom he sidelined are refusing to help him when he needs it the most.
Politico reports that influential outgoing Republicans in Texas, North Carolina, and Nevada are turning their backs on Trump-backed candidates in highly competitive states they won.
Sen. John Cornyn refused to show up for Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated him in the Texas primary after securing Trump’s endorsement.
However, Cornyn has backed other Republicans and has raised over 1.1 million last month for other GOP Senate candidates and election organizers. Not only has he snubbed Paxton, per the report, but he has spoken about the GOP candidates' vulnerabilities and how Democrats could exploit them to flip Texas.
Cornyn did not walk back his attacks on Paxton during the runoff; he said, "Everything I said about him in the primary is true," when speaking to reporters.
In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis has left Michael Whatley in the cold. Even as the former Republican National Committee chairman got Trump’s endorsement to replace him, he has struggled in his campaign against Democrat and former governor Roy Cooper.
A person familiar with Whatley's campaign told Politico that Tillis failed to follow through on reaching out to holdout donors. “The Tillis of the past year ain’t the same guy who worked overtime to help elect Republican majorities here in NC back in 2010,” the insider said.
Another source told the publication that Tillis “doesn’t help sure winners or sure losers” and “Whatley has been a sure loser throughout 2026, running as Donald Trump’s ‘guy,’ and making zero effort to build his own brand.”
Tillis, who announced his retirement after clashing with Trump over legislation, has publicly split with Trump on many issues and has questioned whether Trump’s MAGA coalition will thrive without him.
In Nevada, retiring Republican Rep. Mark Amodei has outright turned on the GOP by voting for a third-party candidate rather than the Trump-backed David Flippo.
Amodei said Trump received "awful advice" by endorsing Flippo, whose military record, residency, and campaign finances have been called into question and offer plenty of material for his Democrat rival to use to convince voters to turn on him or sit it out.
Trump allies who are already nervous about a wipeout in the midterms have criticized them for not supporting Trump’s picks. Club for Growth President David McIntosh criticized Cornyn and Amodei for refusing to fall in line and accused them of pandering for TV deals. “People like John Cornyn and Mark Amodei need to get on board and support Republican nominees and stop posturing for an MSNOW contract.”
Other Republicans have defended the departing lawmakers such as North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, who told Politico he would not question Cornyn's or Tillis' loyalty to the party and respected their vocal criticism.
Their rebellion against Trump and his handpicked candidates could prove to help Democrats if they end up filling those seats. It also exposes Trump’s weakness in the sense that his coalition is faltering with his record-low approval rating, unpopular foreign policy decisions, and the rising cost of living.
