Republican senators who appear likely to face primary threats are taking steps to stay on the good side of the party’s MAGA wing.
Both Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) brushed off concerns about primary challenges in the 2026 midterm elections. However, both men made public moves this week to appeal to President Donald Trump’s base.
Cornyn posted a picture of himself reading Trump’s book The Art of the Deal and said he “recommended” it.
Recommended pic.twitter.com/l6o9pwJr5J
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 20, 2025
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, has hinted at a primary challenge against Cornyn.
“I think it’s just time,” Paxton told Punchbowl News. “He’s had his chance. He hasn’t performed well, and the voters know it. You can go a long time without people paying attention. And they’re paying attention now.”
Paxton said he would decide whether or not to run in the coming months, and he thinks he could win with $20 million in fundraising.
“I’ve run these primaries in Texas before. I honestly don’t see how [Cornyn] overcomes his numbers,” he said.
Cornyn dismissed those concerns, noting he’s not “thinking too much about 2026 now, I’m thinking about 2025,” in terms of advancing Trump’s agenda in the Senate.
“I’ve run in a lot of elections, and I’ve always had a primary and have, fortunately, always been successful,” Cornyn said this week. “My last primary in 2020, I won by 76% of the vote, and it’s like, you gotta earn it, you can’t take it for granted, and I certainly have tried to do that.”
Paxton and Cornyn have a history of squabbles. Cornyn openly mocked the attorney general during his impeachment trial, which centered on corruption allegations.
Cassidy, who could also see a primary challenge in 2026, announced he would sponsor legislation to dismantle the Department of Education hours after Trump signed an executive order to request the agency be eliminated. Trump has been attempting to dismantle or abolish the Education Department since his first term.
Cassidy drew the ire of Trump loyalists after he voted in 2021 to convict the president in the Senate impeachment trial for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 riot. He most recently found himself in the MAGA movement’s crosshairs over his skepticism regarding the confirmation of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Cassidy, a doctor, ultimately supported Kennedy’s confirmation.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who was thought to be mulling a primary challenge to Cassidy, opted against one.
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In a previous statement to the Washington Examiner, Cassidy praised Higgins’s work in the House.
“We’re both working to defend the American dream and support President Trump’s pro-America agenda,” Cassidy said. “He’s a man of strong faith and will continue serving southwest Louisiana well.”