Tillis says Trump endorsing Paxton over Cornyn was ‘colossal mistake’

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) on Sunday blasted President Trump for endorsing Ken Paxton (R) over Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the Texas Senate Republican primary earlier this year.

“In the case of Cornyn, he made a colossal mistake,” Tillis told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The North Carolina Republican added, “John Cornyn’s a great member of the U.S. Senate. Paxton has his challenges. We would not be spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in Texas if Cornyn had won.”

Trump backed Paxton over Cornyn in May, days before the Texas attorney general defeated the four-term senator and secured the right to take on Democrat James Talarico in the general election.

Talarico’s fundraising prowess has given his campaign a significant financial edge over Paxton’s, as the Democrat had more than $21.5 million on hand relative to less than $1.8 million for the Republican nominee as of the end of June, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.

The GOP-linked Senate Leadership Fund has poured millions into the race to boost Paxton, while Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has funneled $15 million to the Lone Star State.

Tillis noted the president’s investment in the race, calling his backing of Paxton over Cornyn an “unforced error” that puts the seat in jeopardy. The Hill’s polling partner, Decision Desk HQ , gives Talarico a 56 percent chance to beat Paxton in November.

In endorsing Paxton over Cornyn, who said during the 2024 presidential campaign that the GOP should move on from Trump, the president touted the Texas attorney general’s track record as a stalwart MAGA advocate.

But the retiring Tillis noted Cornyn was also a firm backer of Trump’s agenda, saying “now is not a time for these loyalty oaths.”

He told Tapper, “Republicans that go after other Republicans for only being in the 95th percentile, I’d like for them to go find another party, because that’s unsustainable for me, as a lifelong member of the Republican Party, to live up to those expectations.”