Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Wednesday he will not endorse fellow Lone Star State senator, Ted Cruz, if the junior senator goes up against Rep. Michael McCaul in a 2018 primary showdown for the seat.
The Senate majority whip also told CNN he would not back the House Homeland Security chairman, making it even the more unusual he does not plan to assist either of the Republicans vying for the position.
“I’m not going to get involved in any primary races particularly with my colleagues in the Senate,” Cornyn said. “We’ll see what happens, but we’ve got plenty to worry about between now and November 2016 before we start worrying about November 2018.”
Instead, Cornyn said he would “sit on the sidelines and watch with interest.” McCaul has not confirmed whether he plans to officially challenge Cruz in two years. He told CNN earlier Wednesday, “I’m focusing on my reelection.”
If McCaul does choose to run for the Senate, Cruz could be in a tough spot after refusing to endorse Republican nominee Donald Trump at the GOP convention in July and being booed off stage.
