Sen. Tillis Says Trump Endorsement of Paxton Over Cornyn Was a Colossal Mistake

A sitting Republican senator's public rebuke of a same-party presidential endorsement, framed around projected seven-figure campaign spending, signals measurable internal GOP friction ahead of the...

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Sunday that President Trump made a "colossal mistake" by endorsing Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the Texas Senate Republican primary, warning that the decision will cost the party tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in a state Republicans have historically not needed to defend at that cost. Tillis made the statement during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" with host Jake Tapper, as reported by The Hill.

"John Cornyn's a great member of the U.S. Senate. Paxton has his challenges. We would not be spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in Texas if Cornyn had won," Tillis said, according to The Hill's account of the interview.

Cornyn, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2002 and previously held the position of Senate Majority Whip, was a senior incumbent when Trump chose to back Paxton, the former Texas Attorney General, in the primary. Trump's endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn was a notable instance of the president crossing a sitting senator of his own party in a statewide primary.

Paxton, who previously faced a Senate impeachment trial in Texas in 2023 on articles including bribery and abuse of office before being acquitted by the Texas Senate, is now the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat. The specific date of Trump's endorsement and the complete primary vote tallies are a matter of public record through the Texas Secretary of State's office and Federal Election Commission filings. FEC records would reflect the fundraising and expenditure totals for each candidate's committee during the primary period.

Tillis's projection of "tens or hundreds of millions of dollars" in Texas spending is notable in the context of Senate campaign finance history. Texas has not elected a Democratic U.S. Senator since 1988, when Lloyd Bentsen won re-election, according to congressional records. A competitive general election in Texas would represent an unusual allocation of national party resources for Republicans.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee and affiliated outside groups' actual commitments to Texas for the 2026 cycle have not been publicly confirmed in full. The precise dollar figures Tillis referenced would be reflected in FEC independent expenditure filings, which are disclosed on a rolling basis at fec.gov. As of the publication of this article, those totals for the general election period are not yet complete.

Tillis's comments arrive as the 2026 midterm elections approach, with multiple ratings organizations and forecasters assessing the Senate map. Cook Political Report has previously forecast Republican challenges in the House, and a costly Texas Senate race would compound resource allocation decisions for national Republican committees.

The broader political context includes several instances in the 2022 and 2024 cycles where Trump-endorsed primary candidates in competitive states faced general election outcomes that party leadership later assessed critically. The pattern, and whether Texas in 2026 fits it, remains to be determined by the November result.

Democratic strategists and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have not publicly released their own Texas spending projections as of this publication. Those figures, once disbursed, will appear in FEC independent expenditure disclosures.

Tillis himself faces a re-election cycle in North Carolina in 2026, meaning his public criticism of a presidential endorsement decision carries political weight within his own caucus. His comments on "State of the Union" were made under his own name and on the record, according to The Hill's report.

What remains unknown at this time is the total confirmed spending commitment by Republican outside groups in Texas, the internal polling that may have prompted Tillis's public statement, and whether Senate Republican leadership will formally request additional resources from national committees. FEC filings through the end of the third quarter of 2026, due October 15, will provide the next measurable data point on Texas Senate spending by both parties.