President Trump has not decided which GOP candidate to endorse ahead of the contentious Republican Senate primary in Texas, instead opting to favor all hopefuls in the three-way race.
Aboard Air Force One on Monday night, the president was asked whether he would back Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the race that also includes Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Mr. Trump signaled he was not ready to throw his support behind any of them, saying, “I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet. It’s got a ways to go, and I haven’t.
“I like all three of them, actually. Those are the toughest races. They’ve all supported me. They’re all good, and you’re supposed to pick one. So we’ll see what happens. But I support all three.”
The Washington Times has reached out to all three candidates.
Even though he declined to pick a favorite, he did single out Mr. Cornyn, who is vying for a fifth term in Washington, as a “good man.”
Earlier this month, the president indicated that he was “taking a serious look” at endorsing one lucky candidate.
“I like all of them, all three,” he said. “But you’ll be seeing soon. They say whoever I endorse wins. That’s probably right.”
Mr. Cornyn is backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, while Turning Point Action recently endorsed Mr. Paxton.
Mr. Trump’s comments come as early voting starts across the Lone Star State, running through Feb. 27.
The Republican nominee will be decided in the March 3 primary that has attracted millions of dollars and many eyes. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a May 26 runoff.
The winner will face a Democrat — Rep. Jasmine Crockett or state Sen. James Talarico — in the Nov. 3 general election, which is likely to favor the Republican.
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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