President Trump traveled to Texas on Friday ahead of next week’s U.S. Senate primary, where three Republican candidates will battle for the party’s nomination in the 2026 midterm elections.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) are challenging sitting Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) for the nomination.
Analysts predict a competitive, heated primary election.
Trump landed in Corpus Christi earlier on Friday.
Footage below:
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump is WHEELS DOWN in Corpus Christi, TX, taking the motorcade to speak to a MASSIVE crowd waiting for him at the port
LFG 🇺🇸
🎥 @MargoMartin47 pic.twitter.com/jPweop0fhz
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 27, 2026
ABC News shared further:
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt plan to attend Trump’s speech in Corpus Christi, their respective campaigns told ABC News, with some changing campaign arrangements in order to be there.
Just days until the high-stakes primary election on Tuesday, the candidates remain neck-and-neck in the battle for the Republican nomination, with each trying to align himself closely with the president.
The president’s visit to the Lone Star state coincides with the final day of early voting, although his remarks are expected to focus on energy and the economy, according to the White House.
“President Trump looks forward to returning to the great State of Texas this week to discuss the economy and tout his ‘Drill Baby Drill’ agenda,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The Republican Senate campaigns did not clarify whether the candidates were invited to the event, and the White House did not comment on invitations or attendees.
The U.S. Senate race in Texas will be a closely watched election in November.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) warned the seat could flip to Democrats, which would jeopardize the Republican majority in the upper legislative chamber.
Senator John Thune warns Texas Senate seat could flip to Democrats https://t.co/Uesu19PFOR
— The Hill (@thehill) February 27, 2026
The Hill explained:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is warning that the Texas Senate seat long held by Sen. John Cornyn (R) could flip to Democrats in the November election if the incumbent is defeated in the GOP primary.
“Honestly, if you look at the polling in a general election setting, I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that the seat [flips], depending on who the Democrats nominate,” Thune told Politico earlier this week.
His blunt warning about Republicans hanging onto the Texas Senate seat comes just a few days before voting concludes as Cornyn faces off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) in the GOP primary. A runoff election will be held on May 26 if no candidate wins a majority.
Republican senators said that Thune has worked behind the scenes to push President Trump to endorse Cornyn but so far without success.
Trump will travel to Texas on Friday to promote his energy and economic policies.
Cornyn and his allies have spent $64 million defending the incumbent in the race, while Paxton’s and Hunt’s allies have spent about $24 million.
Some Republicans fear that Paxton, who is leading Cornyn in some polls, would prove to be a divisive candidate in a general election and could turn off independents or spur a big enough Democratic turnout to flip the seat.
However, Republican strategists generally believe that Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) would need to be the Democratic nominee to give Democrats a likely chance of winning a race against Paxton.
What’s your perspective?
