Cornyn blames GOP midterm loss

Texas Senator John Cornyn wrote that the Republican Party forgot how to win elections after Tuesday's midterms.

The four-term senator published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday titled “Republicans Forgot How to Win Elections.” He described the recent defeat as foreseen rather than just foreseeable. Cornyn lost his seat in the Texas Republican primary runoff to State Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The former senator identified four basic rules of coalition politics that the party failed to follow. These rules involve broad voter appeal, candidate likeability, promise delivery, and integrity. He argued that successful coalitions add voters rather than subtracting them. The party won support in 2024 from white working-class voters, Latino men, and Black voters. Cornyn stated that candidates this year shrank the tent by obsessing over RINOs and political theater.

He specifically cited the loss of Ken Paxton and Mike Collins as examples of this strategy. Cornyn also mentioned Bo French, who lost the Texas railroad commissioner race. French lost support within his own party after some Republican lawmakers accused him of blatant bigotry against college students of South Asian descent. The senator said the party engaged in a strange reverse personality test that favored performance over authenticity. He called this a losing mindset that selects nominees who cannot win general elections.

Cornyn pointed to the Trump administration's failure to deliver on 2024 campaign promises regarding rising costs and employment. He noted that President Trump's approval rating dropped amid rising fuel costs and inflation during the Iran war. The administration also faced a trade fight with Canada. The senator wrote that Americans elected a leader who put on an apron at the Golden Arches but received a plan for a Triumphal Arch instead.

The senator also addressed character and integrity among Republican candidates. He noted that voters will not trust Republicans to cut fraud from government programs until the party cleans up its own ranks. Cornyn alluded to his primary race against Paxton without naming him directly. He said that when Republicans force voters to choose between policy and personal character, it is unfair to them and suicidal for the party. Traditional conservatives and independents in Texas were asked to accept a comical list of personal scandals and improprieties.

Despite the losses, Cornyn said he remains optimistic about the party's future. He stated that the American people want a big-tent Republican Party that is competent and focused on daily concerns. This party should have room for both traditional conservatives and MAGA supporters. He described this as the path back to a governing majority in 2028. Cornyn added that anyone willing to restore integrity and rebuild the party can count him in.