AUSTIN, Texas — Early voting has been underway for a week, and over three million Texans have cast their ballot. One of those people is Senator John Cornyn, who voted at a polling place in East Austin on Monday. Capital Tonight’s Charlotte Scott caught up with the Senator about who he’s supporting this cycle, and who he might back in 2024.
History and the polls suggest that Congress will flip from the Democrats to the Republicans this November. What changes should Texas expect if that happens?
“Well, the top three concerns that the polls have demonstrated and what I hear from Texans is they’re concerned about inflation, rising food and fuel prices, home heating costs. They’re worried about crime. And they’re worried about the border. We’ve seen a humanitarian crisis at the border. Two-point-three million people coming across the border; the Biden administration doing nothing to make that better. And, to me, the most concerning part about that is 108,000 Americans that died of drug overdoses last year, with those drugs coming across the border, particularly fentanyl, which has taken the lives of some young people and who inadvertently take very minut amounts of the fentanyl and unfortunately has taken her lives. So I think you could see some you’ll see some progress on each of those matters: inflation, crime, and the border.”
State Republicans rebuked you at their convention this year after your support for a bipartisan gun bill. Is supporting Herschel Walker one way to get back in their good favor?
“Well, I don’t believe any parents should have to send their child to school and worry about their safety. And I don’t think any child should have to go to school concerned about their safety. So I think the bill that we passed does not erode any second amendment rights for law-abiding citizens, but does keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill or criminals. It also made a huge investment in community-based mental health care, which I think is sorely needed. And people like Salvador Ramos, if he had somewhere to go to treat his mental illness, hopefully he would not be a threat to himself and to others. Herschel Walker is our nominee and in Georgia, and I support him because I believe it could well be the path back to a majority. But ultimately, the voters in Georgia are going to get to make that decision and not me.”
Do you agree with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flying migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard?
“Well, I’ve wondered what it takes to get the attention of President Biden and Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C.. And finally, it seems like when Gov. Abbott and the mayor of El Paso, Gov. DeSantis, and Gov. Ducey have sent these migrants to Washington, D.C., Chicago, or New York, finally, it seems to get their attention. So I think it’s been an important step to try to get their attention, so we can have a conversation, so we can actually do something about it. As I mentioned, the border is on fire. It’s the drugs and the people who are coming across. It’s a hodgepodge of economic migrants, people with criminal records, and drug dealers, and we need to try to have a controlled access to the border and the country through legal means. And so I think, if that’s what it takes to get the attention of Washington, D.C. and the leadership at the White House, so be it.”
Do you feel Donald Trump would be the best representative of the Republican Party if he ran in 2024? And if so, would you support him?
“Well, 2024, obviously, is a long way off. Two years from now. I expect that just like the Democratic primary, the Republican primary will be contested. So I would say it’s premature to be speculating, but I don’t think he will be the only one in the race if he decides to run.”