'Get off the golf course!' Texas Republicans squabble as Democrats paralyze vote
With Texas Democrats walking out of the state and paralyzing the legislature from passing a Trump-endorsed mid-decade gerrymander, GOP officials are starting to go after each other in blame.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is challenging longtime Sen. John Cornyn for the Republican nomination for Senate, proclaimed he would do everything in his power to arrest state lawmakers participating in the quorum break, although his powers, or the powers of the legislature, to round them up across state lines are limited to none, with the main pressure on Democratic lawmakers being how long they can stay away from their families and full-time jobs.
However, Cornyn, who has been trying everything in his power to fend off a primary upset, lashed out at Paxton on X, accusing him of being too preoccupied with his own campaign goals to provide real leadership as Texas' top law enforcement official.
"Memo to @kenpaxtontx: Hey, Ken. Are you in the office today? It’s kind of important," wrote Cornyn, who himself used to be state attorney general before being elected to the Senate. "Let me know if you need the address. Get off the golf course in Scotland and do your job. President Trump and Governor Abbott need a focused AG. For once."
Cornyn is referring to new reporting that indicates Paxton traveled to President Donald Trump's Turnberry resort in Scotland at the end of last month, in an attempt to win Trump's endorsement in the primary.
Polling has showed Cornyn is in danger of losing the nomination to Paxton, a bombastic MAGA official with a history of legal troubles. Paxton has aggressively pursued culture war issues like abortion bans, and who filed an ill-conceived lawsuit to overturn the 2020 presidential election — an issue that briefly exposed him to litigation from the state bar.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has fought to defend Cornyn, as Trump, whose endorsement could hypothetically settle the contest, has largely remained silent.