“Republicans Are Meddling” In Texas, As All Signs Show Cornyn Worried About Running Against Veteran MJ Hegar

New reporting over the weekend details the latest attempts by vulnerable incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Republicans to “meddle” in the Democratic Senate runoff. In the clearest sign yet that Cornyn is trying to avoid facing decorated combat veteran MJ Hegar, HuffPost reports that the GOP senator is “spending hundreds of thousands of dollars meddling in the Democratic primary,” and POLITICO details how the new TV ad is “the latest in several steps” his campaign has taken to interfere in the Democratic primary.

This last-ditch attempt to save himself from facing MJ in November reeks of desperation after recent polls showed Cornyn to be “a nonentity” among Texas voters, with his approval numbers falling and underwater. It’s just the latest sign that Texas is becoming yet another battleground on a Senate map where Republicans cannot afford more defensive liabilities.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

HuffPost: Republicans Are Meddling In Texas’ Democratic Senate Primary
By Kevin Robillard

Key Points:

• Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars meddling in the Democratic primary to face him, airing television and radio advertisements…

• Democrats, looking at both an increasingly favorable national political climate and demographic and ideological changes throughout Texas, are cautiously eyeing the race as a pick-up opportunity as they seek to overcome Republicans’ 53-47 advantage in the Senate. 

• Cornyn’s actions over the past week show a politician who is actively trying to make his reelection bid as easy as possible. His campaign began airing an ad attacking the cash-strapped West on Friday, calling him a “liberal politician” and highlighting his support for abortion rights and gun control.

• Cornyn’s spending highlighting West is far greater than the amount West has been able to spend himself. The most recent Federal Election Commission report shows he had just $160,000 in the bank, compared to Hegar’s $1.6 million.

POLITICO: Cornyn releases TV ad meddling in Texas Democratic runoff
By James Arkin

Key Points:

• Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign is launching a new TV ad Friday taking aim at one of his potential Democratic opponents, the latest in several steps his campaign has taken to meddle ahead of next week’s Democratic primary runoff.

• The move echoes other Republican efforts earlier this cycle, including in North Carolina, where a GOP super PAC funded by allies to Senate Republican leadership ran ads boosting a lesser-known challenger to national Democrats’ preferred candidate.

• The new TV ad from Cornyn is the latest in several attempts to sway Democratic primary voters.

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