Senate Majority Leader John Thune picked up the phone Wednesday to call Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who just dealt the Republican establishment a stunning primary defeat by ousting Sen. John Cornyn, according to someone with knowledge of the conversation.
The call signals a sharp reversal for GOP leadership. Thune and party heavyweights poured resources into stopping Paxton's challenge to Cornyn, treating the primary as a crucial battle for control of the Senate. That spending and organizing muscle failed to slow the outsider momentum.
Now, with Paxton's path to the general election secured, the establishment appears intent on rebuilding bridges. Thune's outreach represents the first visible olive branch from leadership to a candidate they spent money and political capital trying to block.
The dynamic reflects the familiar post-primary reality facing any party divided during its nominating contests. Winners emerge emboldened but needing full party support for the general election. Losers and their backers must decide whether to consolidate or splinter.
Paxton's primary victory suggests Texas Republicans, or at least enough of them in that particular race, rejected the preferred choice of national leadership. Whether the Wednesday call actually mends fences or merely performs the ritual of reconciliation remains to be seen. Thune's move, though, makes clear the Senate GOP majority leader recognizes he cannot afford to let this dispute fester if Republicans want to hold the seat.
Author James Rodriguez: "When the establishment loses a primary fight this badly, they don't have much choice but to play nice with the winner."
Comments