As time ticks down to the May 26 primary runoff, both Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn are playing to a very specific audience with their political advertising — the President of the United States.
Despite teasing an endorsement “soon,” Trump has yet to use his golden scepter to anoint the shoulders of either primary candidate seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat Cornyn now holds.
As a result, the air is thick with desperation.
In early March, a PAC supporting Paxton ran an attack ad against Cornyn. However, the spot only played in Palm Beach, Florida — where the president spends time at his Mar-a-Lago estate — according to political ad tracker AdImpact.
The commercial by Lonestar Liberty PAC, called “Betraying Trump,” features a highlight reel of old videos in which Cornyn praised the president’s avowed enemies, including former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and one-time FBI Director James Comey.
“Cornyn told Fox 26 he won’t be supporting President Trump and neither should other Republicans,” the attack ad begins, before running down what it characterizes as other unforgivable offenses against a president who seems to prize loyalty above all else.
Indeed, the Houston Chronicle reports both campaigns frequently run TV spots not just in Palm Beach but Washington, D.C., and near Trump’s private golf course in New Jersey — all ostensibly for an audience of one.
Knowing how much Trump loves watching the tube, both Cornyn and Paxton seem to be banking big on the tactic as they vie for an endorsement in the days before the runoff.
Since the start of 2025, groups backing Cornyn, Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt — who lost in the primary’s first round — have spent a combined $900,000 on ads targeting those three markets, the Chronicle reports.
Nonetheless, Trump continues to withhold his endorsement.
Sorry, fellas, perhaps he was using the restroom during the commercial break. Maybe try a blimp?
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