John Cornyn
John Cornyn III
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Who is this?
John Cornyn III ( KOR-nin; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician and former judge who is the senior United States senator for Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in Houston, Cornyn is a graduate of Trinity University, St. Mary's University School of Law, and the University of Virginia School of Law. He was a judge on Texas's 37th District Court from 1985 to 1991, an associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1991 to 1997, and Attorney General of Texas from 1999 to 2002. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002. During his tenure, Cornyn chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2009 to 2013 and served as the Senate Republican whip from 2013 to 2019. Cornyn has been described as an establishment Republican. Although considered conservative by voting record, he has a reputation for bipartisan negotiation on gun legislation and immigration reform. In 2022, he helped negotiate passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, for which he was rebuked by the Republican Party of Texas. Cornyn ran for re-election in 2026. After narrowly coming in first place but failing to receive more than 50% in the Republican primary, he went to a runoff against Texas attorney general Ken Paxton. Cornyn lost renomination in the May runoff, receiving approximately 36% of the vote. Cornyn is the first incumbent Texas senator to lose renomination since 1970.
Career
- 1952Born
- 2015Won James Madison Award
Trivia
- •Place of birth: Houston
- •Citizenship: United States
- •Known as: politician, lawyer, judge
What happened recently
Senator John Cornyn on campaign trail ahead of Paxton's win for Republican Senate seat nomination
Sen. John Cornyn’s Betrayal Parable Has Social Media Speculating What He’s Really Saying
Election triumphs, a series of scandals dot Ken Paxton's political timeline - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
John Cornyn and Ken Paxton spent millions to woo voters. Paxton got the better deal.
Ken Paxton wins Texas US Senate primary, ending John Cornyn’s two decades in office
The Latest: Ken Paxton wins Senate primary runoff in Texas, defeats incumbent Sen. John Cornyn
Texas Senate Primary Runoff Election 2026 Live Results: Ken Paxton beats John Cornyn in GOP runoff
John Cornyn lost his primary 3 years ago this month. He just didn't know it.
Trump talks Iran and touts Republican primary wins at 11th public Cabinet meeting
Ken Paxton vs. John Cornyn: See how your neighbor voted in Texas' U.S. Senate Republican runoff election
Cornyn went to great lengths to avoid Trump's wrath. The Texas senator lost his seat anyway
Ken Paxton's win over John Cornyn in Texas primary may also help Democrats in Senate battle
Trump congratulates Paxton, Cornyn: ‘John will remain my friend for a long time to come’
John Cornyn’s defeat raises a new question: Will he join the Senate Republicans rebelling against Trump?
Paxton dominates Cornyn in Texas US Senate runoff, the latest sign of Trump’s hold on GOP
Texas primary runoff election: Ken Paxton will defeat Sen. John Cornyn in Senate contest, CNN projects
Trump-backed Ken Paxton beats incumbent John Cornyn in GOP primary runoff for Texas Senate seat
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