Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton would still lead Sen. John Cornyn even if President Donald Trump endorses the incumbent in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR), shows that, should Trump effectively back Cornyn, it wouldn't be enough to get him across the finish line: Paxton would still lead 44% to 43%. In contrast, should the state attorney general get the endorsement, his support would jump to 58%, compared to Cornyn's 32%.
Trump is yet to make his endorsement in the race. Different reports suggest he is set to back Cornyn, with Republican officials saying he will be a stronger candidate in the general election than Paxton, who has gone through different controversies in his political career.
Trump said last week he will make his endorsement "pretty soon" and has urged the candidate who he doesn't back to drop out of the race.
Paxton, however, has anticipated he will remain in the race even despite Trump's wishes, saying "I owe it to the people of Texas."
"I'm spending a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn because he doesn't represent the people of Texas well," he said in an interview last week. "Everything that trump stood for, Cornyn has not. Republicans would like something different," he added.
Trump reacted to the remarks, issuing a warning to Paxton. That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction," he said.
The poll was conducted among 781 likely Republican primary voters between March 7 and 8, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points. It also showed Paxton gathering 49% of the support, compared to Cornyn's 41%. The remaining respondents remain undecided.
Supporters of Rep. Wesley Hunt, who got 13.5% of the vote in last week's primary, are breaking for Paxton, the survey showed. 48% of them back Paxton, compared to 31% who go for Cornyn.
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