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Growing competition for Cornyn
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has company as he tries to become the first Senate Majority Leader from Texas since Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Former Texan turned Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott announced he is making a play for the top post with Republicans increasingly hopeful they will take back the majority in the Senate later this year. Scott was a hospital executive in Texas and lived in Dallas for more than a decade before moving to Florida where he ran for governor in 2010.
"I believe that our voters want us to use this leadership election to make a choice to upend the status quo in Washington," Scott said in a letter to colleagues that was first published by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. "If you also believe this to be true and want a leader dedicated to that principle, I would be honored to have the opportunity to earn your support."
Cornyn, Scott and South Dakota Sen. John Thune have all announced now they are vying to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who announced earlier this year he would step down from the leadership post later this year.
"It's not really a surprise," Cornyn said. "Sen. Scott ran against Sen. McConnell after the last election so I knew of his interest."
Cornyn said he welcomes Scott to the race and doesn't take any of it personally.
The leadership races are typically mostly a behind-the-scenes battle where senators try to coax support from fellow senators. One of the things going for Cornyn has been his ability to raise money for other members and help get new members elected.
Scott, 71, has only been in the Senate since 2019. Cornyn, 72, has been there since 2002. Thune, 63, has been there since 2005.
Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority. But Republicans are in a good position to win two seats they need to retake the majority if Joe Biden wins re-election. If Donald Trump wins in 2024, Republicans would only need one seat because Trump's vice president would be able to break tie votes in the Senate.
 | Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's up, who's down
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz had a very combative interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins where four times he asked her to say what happened in the 1876 presidential election between Hayes and Samuel Tilden. Cruz was trying to explain that after the 2020 election, he wanted to appoint a commission like in 1876 to investigate voter fraud before certifying the presidential election, despite Collins pointing out that there was not enough fraud to change the outcome of the 2020 election. That 1876 commission voted along party lines to give the presidency to Hayes, despite claims of voter fraud.
Down: Republican Party of Texas Convention.
The Texas GOP, which has had fundraising problems, is about to have another leadership upheaval and has all kinds of infighting. Now, two of the most successful Texas Republicans will have limited roles at the state GOP Convention in San Antonio. Gov. Greg Abbott, in his third term, announced he'll do a video livestream at 10 a.m. on Friday far from San Antonio and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, in his fourth term, is bypassing a traditional floor speech to the full GOP convention where he was booed in 2022. Instead, Cornyn said he'll make the rounds in San Antonio speaking to groups at the convention, but not before the full slate of delegates.
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What else is going on in Texas
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Pick of the day
Photo by: Jeremy Wallace
That is the number of Texas Republicans who are battling it out in San Antonio to become the next Republican Party of Texas chairman. The seven are vying to replace former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi, who is not seeking another term. Follow our reporters Cayla Harris and Benjamin Wermund for the latest from the convention.
What else I'm reading
Texas and Alberta, Canada have a friendly wager loaded with a lot of beef. On Tuesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith challenged Gov. Greg Abbott to a bet over the Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers Western Conference Finals that start on Thursday night.
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