Trump loses sway over Cornyn after Texas Senate loss

Published May 28, 2026 6:00am ET | Updated May 28, 2026 12:48pm ET



President Donald Trump will soon find out whether he has a new wild card to worry about in the Senate after helping send John Cornyn (R-TX) into an early retirement.

Cornyn became the second incumbent Tuesday to lose his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, handing Senate leadership another lame duck with no incentive to back Trump or his legislative agenda. The first was Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who quickly made clear he would use his political freedom to criticize Trump on everything from the war in Iran to the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

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