Majority Leader John Thune On The Need For the GOP to Rally to Ken Paxton in Texas

Senate Majority Leader John Thune called into the program today to talk about the need for the entire GOP to rally behind Texas Senate GOP nominee Ken Paxton after Paxton’s win over Senator Cornyn in Tuesday’s primary run-off:

Transcript:

HH: Pleased to welcome now the leader of the United States Senate, Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. Leader Thune, welcome. I began the show by saying I’m sad that my radio friend and great senator from Texas, John Cornyn, lost last night. But of course, we’ve got to get behind Ken Paxton now and get him elected. What’s your reaction to last night in Texas?

JT: Well, that’s right, Hugh. You know, obviously, like you, John Cornyn, I believe, had been a great partner for us in the Senate, and had done a great job for Texas and for our country. But you know, the voters, Republican voters in Texas spoke last night. Ken Paxton is our nominee heading into November, and we’ve got to pivot and go all-in to make sure that we keep Texas red, that he wins, and that we keep a far left liberal out of the United States Senate. And obviously, that seat is going to be very key to our majority, which will determine the future of this country.

HH: Now Texas is a big place. It costs a lot of money. And that was a bruising battle. Some public polls have the fellow President Trump calls weird, Mr. Talarico, ahead right now. Is that just the result of a bruising primary?

JT: Yeah, I think so. And obviously, sometimes it’s, they’re, you know, some of these polls early on in an election before the candidates are clearly defined might reflect factors other than what I think the qualification of the candidates bring to the table. But I think when people understand who James Talarico is, how far left he is on the spectrum on pretty much every issue, it’s going to be a clear choice. And in elections, frankly, as you know, Hugh, they’re about differences. And this is going to be a choice for the people of Texas. And I think when they have a clear understanding of the differences between the two candidates and what they stand for, it’s going to be an easy call for the people of Texas. So it’s time to get in that general election footing, and do the hard work that’s necessary to make sure that Paxton wins and we keep Texas red.

HH: Have you had a chance to talk to Attorney General Paxton, yet? Or has Tim Scott or both of you?

JT: I have spoken with him. Spoke with John Cornyn as well. And yes, obviously, we are making the pivot, and you know, he’s all-in, ready to go for the fall election, and not taking any time off, already on the phone raising money and all the things you’re going to have to do to be successful. But we’ve got to do everything we can, Hugh, you know, as a party to make sure that we win this race, because losing is not an option when it comes to the state of Texas and what it means for our majority in the Senate.

HH: You know, I have a column coming out. I filed it already. We have seven seats up – Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, and Texas. They can go either way. And you’ve got a three-vote lead right now, so they’ve got to win four to take control. But that’s not really ideal. You’d like to win all seven, right?

JT: Correct. And you know, obviously we have seats where we’re playing some defense, but we’re also on offense in a few seats. And we’ve just got to execute. But it takes a lot of resources to do that. And you know, clearly I’m hoping that donors around the country and donors in Texas will step up big to make sure that we have the resources to run the race we need to run in the state of Texas. But we’ve also got to keep our eye on a lot of these other places, like Maine and North Carolina and Ohio and Iowa and Alaska. And then, of course, some pick-up opportunities in places like Michigan and New Hampshire and depending on, you know, on Georgia right now where they’ve got a run-off election going. But it’s going to be wide open, Hugh. I think the Senate is, it’s just critical that we keep that majority. And when it comes to being able to work with President Trump the last two years of his administration, when it comes to the Court, as you know very well and cover extremely well, critical that we have a majority in the United States Senate to continue to confirm conservative, Constitutionalist judges to the federal bench.

HH: Now today at the Cabinet meeting, President Trump said I’m not worried about the midterms. I’m worried about the war in Iran, clearly talking about gas prices. Obviously, we’d like the war in Iran to succeed and quickly so that gas prices can come down. But what do you make of, when the President says national security comes first, I agree with that. But do you think the voters will agree with that?

JT: Well, I’m, you know, we have a saying in my office that if you don’t get national security right, the rest is conversation. You’ve got to be able to defend the country and American interests. And so it’s important that we get this right. We get the Strait opened up, and once that happens, I think you’ll start to see some moderation in these energy prices. But you know, clearly, the economic issues tend to be the issues that the American people vote on. Pocketbook issues always tend the win the day. And so we’ve got to keep our eye on that ball at the same time that we win and make sure that in Iran, at least, we don’t leave them on the field with the capability that they could use to threaten not only that region, but the rest of the world, including the United States. So it’s a big priority, and I know the President’s clearly focused on it. We need to ensure that we succeed there. And then also at the same time, prove that we can do two things at one time and focus clearly on the economic issues that I think are going to be front and center for a lot of the American people when they vote.

HH: Let me close by talking about Texas. I think it’s going to help Attorney General Paxton that Governor Abbott’s up again, because he’s such a great vote-getter. Does it work that way on a federal-state, it does work that way down ticket for the governor, but does it crossover when you’ve got a really strong governor to the Senate candidate as well?

JT: Absolutely. I mean, I think anytime your ticket is strong, that it has that derivative effect on a lot of those other races. So if people are turning out, and Governor Abbott has a great organization, a great turnout operation, that benefits all of the Republican candidates on the ticket. So you know, you can’t take that for granted or assume that you’re going to win because somebody else runs a great race. You have to run your own race and do everything you need to do to win. But when you’ve got a strong Republican ticket, Hugh, everybody benefits. So we’re going to make sure that we’re doing, that every race down in Texas, we’re doing everything we need to do to win.

HH: Majority Leader Thune, thank you for calling in on short notice. I appreciate the update. Glad to hear about the pivot, and I am very glad to hear everyone’s on the same page. And I appreciate you taking the time.

JT: Good to be with you as always. Thanks, Hugh. See you.

HH: Thank you, Leader.

End of interview.