Did Trump’s Paxton endorsement sway Tarrant voters? Here’s what they said
Tarrant County voters who went out to the polls after President Donald Trump endorsed Attorney General Ken Paxton said it did not sway how they voted in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate.
At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Trump announced he completely and totally supports Paxton’s bid for the seat. The president said incumbent Sen. John Cornyn was “a good guy,” but wasn’t supportive enough.
The announcement was made on the second day of early voting. On Monday, the number of Republicans who turned out to vote nearly quadrupled the Democrats casting ballots. Of those who spoke to the Star-Telegram, many were motivated by the Senate race.
Republicans at the polls Tuesday afternoon said they had decided who got their vote long before Trump’s endorsement and nothing changed after. Some Cornyn voters said they were worried the endorsement would put Paxton as the winner and make it easier for Democratic nominee James Talarico to defeat Republicans in November.
Mark Burleson voted for Cornyn at the Gary Fickes Northeast Courthouse in Hurst and said he’s not concerned about the endorsement affecting the race. He said Cornyn’s record speaks for itself.
Janet Golightly cast her ballot at the same place for Paxton, saying it’s important to get the right people into office. She was glad to see Trump’s support of her favored candidate, but it didn’t have any sway for her.
At the Dionne Phillips Bagsby Southwest Subcourthouse in Fort Worth, Jeff Davis said he already hated Cornyn for the same reasons Trump noted in his endorsement. Davis voted for Paxton because he doesn’t want RINOs (Republicans-in-name-only) representing him.
Rachel Lusby, who voted for Cornyn, said Trump’s weigh-in didn’t affect her vote, but “he confirmed that Cornyn was the better candidate” instead.