OPINION:
The Republican establishment burned through more than $100 million in its bid to defeat Ken Paxton in Texas’ GOP Senate primary — only to find out sometimes money is not enough.
The state’s senior senator, John Cornyn, was the preferred choice of party insiders and donors, who spent about $128 million worth of ads as of Monday evening in his direction, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact
But all of that money and effort was for naught, as Mr. Paxton, the state’s attorney general, blew out Mr. Cornyn by more than 25 points in Tuesday’s election.
It was the most expensive Senate primary in history, and one of the biggest mistakes of party insiders. Now, the national coffers are depleted for GOP candidates seeking to win in Maine, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia.
The worst part? Mr. Cornyn’s defeat was highly predictable more than a year ago, but instead of listening to its base voters, the Republican establishment decided to buck them, blowing through the party’s cash.
Mr. Cornyn chose a side, and it was anti-MAGA. In 2023, he said President Trump’s time had “passed him by” and called for another GOP candidate to join the 2024 presidential race. After the Uvalde school shooting, Mr. Cornyn worked with the Biden administration to help pass the Safer Communities Act, which curbed Second Amendment gun rights.
Mr. Cornyn had been a staunch defender of the 60-vote filibuster rule, only altering his stance after Mr. Paxton challenged him to pass the president’s top legislative priority, the SAVE America Act, in March.
Still, Mr. Cornyn’s close relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune was not enough to sway him to change the Senate rule to pass the bill with a simple majority.
Mr. Cornyn’s career was launched and sustained by a good old boys’ network of political dark money and backroom deals, which is increasingly out of sync with GOP voters. The end of his career — and the careers of Sens. Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy — should serve as a wake-up call to Mr. Thune. It’s in his and the Washington establishment’s best interest to actually listen to rank-and-file voters, instead of using their power and position to preach at them.
There are 31 weeks left in the year where Republicans control the House, Senate and White House. The Senate is scheduled to be in recess for 16 of them. The Senate is currently on vacation, departing Washington before passing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
If there are any lessons to be learned, it’s for Senate Republicans to return next week, cancel some of their planned vacation time and pass a reconciliation bill, which includes funding for Mr. Trump’s ballroom and the SAVE America Act, which will secure American elections.
Instead, the New York Times reports, GOP senators are bitter at Mr. Cornyn’s loss, viewing Mr. Trump’s endorsement of Mr. Paxton “as a move to punish a senator whom Mr. Trump deemed insufficiently loyal, an insult to the institution and a self-serving political mistake that put his party’s hold on the Senate at risk.”
Mr. Cornyn’s situation, the Times continues, “adds to the ranks of GOP incumbents done in by their own president with little remaining incentive to give him the benefit of the doubt … Already, it has become clear that they are questioning why they should bend constantly to Mr. Trump on issues on which they might think differently given the political choices he has made.”
That’s clearly the wrong read on the situation. GOP voters want senators who do their bidding, not the other way around. Mr. Paxton was on the trajectory to win the primary with or without Mr. Trump’s endorsement. Mr. Paxton will also win the general in November as his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, is far from palatable for Lone Star State voters.
Still, there’s hope. On Wednesday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which backed Mr. Cornyn, quietly deleted several past posts attacking Mr. Paxton and directed its fire at Mr. Talarico.
Mr. Cornyn, in his concession speech, signaled that he would back Mr. Paxton, and some Senate Republicans, including Majority Whip John Barrasso and Bernie Moreno, have said they will support Mr. Paxton’s candidacy.
The president’s tone was also conciliatory, congratulating Mr. Paxton on social media while praising Mr. Cornyn “for having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having a truly great career.”
Now, it’s time for Senate to do the people’s bidding — or they too will face ouster.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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