‘I’d love to have his help’: Paxton reveals what he told Cornyn after Senate runoff
“By the way, did John Cornyn ever call and concede?”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posed the question to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an interview for the inaugural episode of the lieutenant governor’s new Lt. Dan podcast. He sat at a wooden table fashioned with a microphone and branded mug, as Paxton responded from a video screen facing the head of the table.
The episode was released about a month after Paxton defeated longtime Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a bruising primary runoff. Paxton faces state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the statewide seat, in the Nov. 3 general election.
The interview touches on the theme of party unity that’s being pushed by GOP leaders, as Cornyn voters weigh whether to support Paxton in the fall.
“So he sent me a text,” Paxton said. “I never saw a phone call from him, but I texted him back and I said, ‘Thank you. You know, I appreciate your service to Texas and to the country and I’d love to get together and talk.’”
Paxton’s campaign declined to elaborate on the concession exchange.
If it’s up to him, Paxton said, he and Cornyn will get together, but both parties have to be willing.
“I don’t know what John’s going to decide,” Paxton said. “I haven’t heard back from him. I’d be happy to talk to him. I’d love to have his help and support.”
He later added: “I would have supported John no matter what, and I said it publicly, and I meant it. I do not want James Talarico, and I would vote for John 10 times before I voted for James Talarico.”
Had Cornyn won, Patrick said he’d be “all in, money, marbles and chalk, to help him win.”
“I hope he comes around,” said Patrick, who didn’t endorse a candidate in the primary.
A spokesperson for Cornyn’s campaign declined to comment on the podcast interview but shared examples of Cornyn saying he will support the Republican ticket. The senator said as much in his election concession speech.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Cornyn said that while he’ll back the ticket, he won’t campaign or raise money for Paxton.
Ahead of the primary, Cornyn warned of possible Republican losses if Paxton was at the top of the ballot. Cornyn lost the May 26 primary runoff by about 28 points — a loss that came after President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton over the four-term U.S. senator.
“He just needs to kind of come back around, because we need his voters, you need his voters, Texas needs his voters, and he’s a Texan at heart,” Patrick said. “Look, we built the party on his shoulders.The first time he [took office] was 1985. I mean, he was one of the pioneers, and so I hope that he does come around.”
Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and handily won reelection three times.
“No candidate who loses an election should ever be mad at their opponent,” Patrick said. “They should just accept the fact that the voters decided it was time for a change. … You don’t win by 28 points without the voters changing their mind.”
Paxton, who argued that Cornyn is ineffective in Washington while on the campaign trail, said he voted for Cornyn in the past.
“I really would love to have his help, because as you said, he’s been involved in the party a long time,” Paxton said. “He’s connected to a lot of Republican voters and a lot of them respect him.”
A recent Texas Politics Project poll shows a neck and neck race between Talarico and Paxton in the fall. Per the survey, 84% of Republicans say they’ll support Paxton in November.
Talarico has support among 40% of independents to Paxton’s 12%. Thirty-four percent of independents told pollsters they did not yet have an opinion.
The “Lt. Dan” podcast — a name that might sound familiar to fans of the film “Forrest Gump” — is described as a weekly show where Patrick “gets personal, sharing his thoughts on the issues that matter most to Texans and Americans, interviewing leaders, and having the real conversations that shape our future.”
Patrick, who was first elected as lieutenant governor in 2014, was a TV sports broadcaster and radio talk-show host.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 3:40 PM.
