John Cornyn settles into ‘liberating’ leverage role on his way to retirement

Published July 25, 2026 7:00am ET

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) appears to be living his best life. That is, at least for someone who will soon be out of a job.

The fourth-term GOP senator is making the most of his remaining months in office, in part by using the time since losing his May primary runoff to Trump-backed Ken Paxton to score concessions from the White House in exchange for his crucial support on nominees.