Here's what Ken Paxton says it would take for him to exit Texas GOP Senate runoff

FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he’d consider dropping out of his Republican runoff if a bill requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections is passed out of the U.S. Senate.

Paxton on Tuesday advanced to a May 26 Republican runoff for the U.S. Senate with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. President Donald Trump teased an endorsement in the race on Wednesday, with The Atlantic reporting that Cornyn is expected to win his coveted support.

Trump has said he expects the Republican candidate he doesn’t endorse to drop out “immediately.” Paxton previously said he’d be staying in the race even if he didn’t get the president’s formal support, but on Thursday offered conditions that would possibly change his tune.

“The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done,” Paxton said in a Thursday social media post. “I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”

The SAVE America Act passed out of the House in February, but faces challenges in the Senate because of Democratic opposition and the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster, according to NPR. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, has said there’s not enough votes to do away with the filibuster, which means the bill stands little chance of passing, NBC News reports.

Paxton called Cornyn “a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill” in his post on X.

“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” Paxton said. “For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.”

The legislation requires that voters “provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, and requires photo identification to vote in federal elections,” according to a summary of the bill from the Congressional Research Service. Opponents of the legislation argue it creates barriers to voting, as citizenship is already required to vote.

Texas is among 36 states that request or require voters to provide identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“I repeat what I have consistently said: I support the bill and have encouraged Senate Republicans to get it done,” Cornyn said in a social media post, responding to Paxton.

The post didn’t address Paxton’s conditions for exiting the Republican runoff or his position on eliminating the filibuster. The Hill reports that Cornyn has resisted to doing away with the legislative maneuver, but has opened the door to considering rule changes related to it.

Trump addressed Paxton’s earlier remarks that he wouldn’t drop out of the race, even if the president endorsed against him, in an interview with Politico.

“Well, that’s bad for him to say,” Trump said. “That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”

Trump said he’d make his endorsement “pretty soon,” according to Politico’s report.

The endorsement comes on the heels of an expensive first round of voting and ahead of what’s sure to be a costly runoff and general election. As focus is put on Texas, Republicans are also trying to win races in battleground states nationally to keep control of the Senate.

“If they’ve got to spend tremendous amounts of money to hold Texas, they probably lost nationally anyway, and so if you can reduce the demand for money in Texas, you can use that money elsewhere and maybe hold the Senate,” SMU political science professor Cal Jillson said of Republicans’ likely thinking.

Thune, the Senate majority leader, has urged Trump to endorse Cornyn.

If the president “endorses early, it saves everybody a lot of money, and … 10 weeks of a spirited campaign on our side that keeps us from spending time focusing on the Democrats,” Thune said Wednesday, according to Politico.

The winner of the May runoff will face state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, in November.

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Texas AG Ken Paxton’s full post

Here’s Paxton’s full post:

The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done.

I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.

John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation.

The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare.

For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.