U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is expected to support his former opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, despite his decision to skip this week’s Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. A spokeswoman confirmed with The Christian Post on Tuesday that the 74-year-old Cornyn will not be in attendance at the GOP event at American Airlines Center, where President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Gov.
Greg Abbott will be among an extensive slate of speakers. The event, dubbed a "Trumpapalooza" by RNC Chairman Joe Gruters, is expected to draw roughly 20,000 attendees and cost the city of Dallas more than $2 million in public-safety and logistical expenses, according to ABC News. Cornyn is far from the only prominent Republican skipping the gathering.
First lady Melania Trump is also not expected to attend, and Newsweek reports dozens of Republican lawmakers and candidates in competitive races are staying in their respective states to campaign, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Cornyn lost to Paxton in a runoff vote in May after Trump threw his support behind the Texas attorney general near the end of the campaign. Paxton will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November general election.
An August University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll found Talarico leading Paxton 42% to 39%, with 14% of voters undecided. The poll of 1,200 registered voters carried a weighted margin of error of 3.58 percentage points. In his concession speech, Cornyn reflected on the words of former President Teddy Roosevelt, shared memories of time spent with fellow Texans, and listed congressional achievements during his time in the Senate.
After quipping that "God laughs when we make plans," Cornyn referenced 2 Timothy 4:7, saying he will continue his work over the next seven months to help "make this nation a better place for all Texans