It only took disgruntled Sen. John Cornyn one week after his historic electoral loss to begin promoting the media hits of Ken Paxton’s competitors in the U.S. Senate race in Texas.
Rut roh
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 2, 2026
Libertarian Ted Brown courts disaffected conservative voters in Texas’ U.S. Senate race – Houston Public Media https://t.co/wZ9ipRviE1
On Tuesday, Cornyn posted an interview to social media from Houston Public Media that featured the Libertarian party’s nominee Ted Brown entitled “Libertarian Ted Brown courts disaffected conservative voters in Texas’ U.S. Senate race.”
In the article that Cornyn promoted, Brown, despite rejecting the term, acknowledged his desire to play a spoiler candidate for those who “aren’t satisfied with the primary results.”
"Frankly, you can’t spoil something that’s rotten and putrid to begin with," Brown told Houston Public Media.
Texas voters wholly rejected Cornyn in the primary run-off, as he managed to win just two of Texas’ 250 counties in what may be one of the most embarrassing electoral performances by an incumbent in state history.
Cornyn had initially indicated that he would back the Republican nominee, saying that he had intended to support the Republican ticket heading into November. Less than a week later, Cornyn revealed that he stood by his previous criticism of Paxton and did not intend to meet with the nominee prior to the November election.
🔵 Talarico: “To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.”
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) May 27, 2026
🔴 Cornyn: “I've always supported the Republican ticket and I intend to do so again in this general election.”
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) tells CNN he stands by his criticism of Ken Paxton including calling him a crook.
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) June 1, 2026
Cornyn has he hasn’t spoken to Paxton after losing his primary and doesn’t plan to meet or speak with him. #TexasSenate pic.twitter.com/WckeSJSmsF
It looks as if Paxton will have to campaign against both Cornyn and Democrat nominee James Talarico in November.