The internal battle of the Republican Party in Texas became a new demonstration of Donald Trump's political weight within the party. Senator John Cornyn faces one of the toughest races of his career after falling behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received the president's direct endorsement.

According to information published by The Hill, Cornyn will try to reverse this Tuesday an adverse trend in the Republican second round for the Senate, although polls and betting markets place Paxton as a large favorite.

Trump publicly endorsed the attorney general last week in a post on Truth Social, praising his political loyalty and role as one of the officials most aligned with the MAGA movement.

“Ken Paxton was a GREAT Attorney General, probably the best in the country,” Trump wrote.

Trump's weight redefines the Republican primaries

Although Cornyn is a four-term senator with a long history in the Senate, his relationship with the Trump base has deteriorated in recent years. Among the main complaints is his support for a bipartisan gun control law promoted during Joe Biden's government.

In addition, Cornyn even declared in 2023 that the Republican Party should start thinking about a post-Trump stage, comments that continue to weigh on the most conservative electorate. In contrast, Paxton has built his campaign around his closeness to Trump.

According to the Decision Desk HQ polling average cited by The Hill, Paxton widened his lead in recent weeks and surpassed Cornyn by up to 15 points after receiving the presidential endorsement.

Cornyn looks to avoid another loss

Cornyn's possible fall would join other recent cases of moderate Republicans or Trump critics who have lost strength in internal elections.

The aforementioned media recalled that figures such as Senator Bill Cassidy and Congressman Thomas Massie recently faced defeats or strong political blows after being identified as insufficiently loyal to the former president.

Despite the scenario, Cornyn tries to differentiate himself by ensuring that he remains a reliable ally of Trump and has warned that Paxton could put the Republican seat at risk against the Democrats in a general election.

“We are witnessing quite an intense internal struggle in these primaries,” Cornyn acknowledged during an interview reported by The Hill.

The election in Texas could become another test of the control that Trump maintains over the Republican Party heading into the next federal elections.