Thune Defies Trump, Doubles Down On Cornyn Support

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is standing by establishment favorite John Cornyn even after President Donald Trump threw his full support behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the explosive Texas Senate runoff showdown. Thune publicly broke with Trump on Tuesday, telling reporters he would continue backing Cornyn despite the president’s endorsement of Paxton, exposing a growing divide between Senate GOP leadership and the America First movement. “Cornyn is a principled conservative. He is a very effective senator for the state of Texas,” Thune said following Trump’s endorsement announcement. “None of us can control what the president does. That doesn’t...