Cornyn worries his help will hurt in presidential race

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, March 9, 2016

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he won’t endorse any candidate in the Republican presidential race. 

While he did not specifically name his Senate seatmate, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Cornyn said on a call with reporters that an endorsement could be counter-productive.

“If party leaders would endorse one or the other of the candidates, I’m afraid it would be more likely to hurt than help,” said Cornyn, who is the Senate’s majority whip.

A contentious race for the Republican presidential nomination has been dominated by the success of real estate mogul Donald Trump, who has drawn energy from voters’ anger at the political establishment.

Cornyn, in his third term in the Senate, noted the backlash last week when former Republican nominee Mitt Romney came out against Trump.

Cornyn told reporters that Cruz, who has won primaries and caucuses in seven states, including Texas, hasn’t asked for his endorsement.

Cruz did not endorse Cornyn in the 2014 primary, though he did later in the general election. The presidential candidate has also at times criticized party leadership.

Cornyn said he will back whomever the party nominates in the general election in November.

Cornyn said he’s not as “apocalyptic” as others about the party’s infighting over its nominee, but he acknowledged the campaign has been “unique.”

“I’ve never quite seen anything like this,” he said.

“What’s most important for the credibility of the process is for it to occur in open and not have it be a back room deal between power brokers,” he said.

Cornyn also said senators are “very close to an agreement” over criminal justice reform that he’s been championing. The proposal calls for more alternatives to prison sentences.

The Hill newspaper reported yesterday that proponents are considering making some concessions, including dropping a call to reduce minimum sentences for career criminals who commit new crimes while armed.

“I’m much more optimistic about this than I have been the last few weeks,” he said.

Kery Murakami is the Washington, D.C. reporter for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach him at kmurakami@cnhi.com