Senator John Cornyn used his own social media account to spread a Wall Street Journal column telling readers to vote for a Democrat over a Republican in Texas.
Quick Take
- Cornyn reposted Karl Rove’s Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Why I’m Voting for a Texas Democrat” on September 16, 2026.
- Rove wrote he would back Democrat Jon Rosenthal over Republican Bo French after French posted racist comments about South Asian students.
- Rove’s column included the line “The GOP’s stables need a cleaning. This is a good place to start,” which Cornyn also quoted.
- The repost lands months after Cornyn himself lost his Senate seat to Ken Paxton in a bruising MAGA-versus-establishment runoff.
What Cornyn Actually Posted
Cornyn’s account shared the headline “Why I’m Voting for a Texas Democrat by @KarlRove wsj.com/opinion/why-im…” with a link through the Wall Street Journal’s opinion page. The post named Rove directly and pointed followers straight to the piece. Cornyn later quoted Rove’s harshest line about the party needing a cleaning, making the connection between senator and columnist impossible to miss.
The Gateway Pundit flagged the repost within a day, calling Cornyn a “RINO” for amplifying a column that openly urges votes for a Democrat. Alternet ran a similar story, describing Cornyn as a senator Trump had already turned against. Both outlets treated the repost as more than casual sharing.
Rove’s Reason: A Texas Railroad Commission Race
Rove’s column was not about the U.S. Senate. It focused on the Texas Railroad Commission race between Republican Bo French and Democrat Jon Rosenthal. According to the Texas Tribune, Rove told a private lunch crowd he would vote for Rosenthal after French posted racist comments about South Asian students at the University of Texas at Austin, calling French a “bigot”.
Rove said Rosenthal would be only the second Democrat he had voted for since 1994, a detail multiple outlets repeated to show how rare this break was for a lifelong Republican operative. That context matters. Rove was not asking conservatives to abandon the party wholesale. He was drawing a line against one candidate’s specific remarks.
Trump and the Texas GOP Already at War
This repost did not happen in a vacuum. President Trump has publicly criticized Rove as “so bad for the Republican Party,” and Texas Republicans have spent over a year fighting over who counts as loyal to the MAGA movement. Cornyn himself lost his Senate seat to Paxton by a 27-point margin in May 2026, after Trump endorsed Paxton and painted Cornyn as insufficiently loyal.
Cornyn had defended himself during that race by saying he voted with Trump 99% of the time and was “just as conservative as Ken Paxton.” Voters did not buy it. Now, months after losing that seat, Cornyn is boosting the very kind of establishment Republican voice that base voters already rejected him for resembling.
A Pattern That Fits His Reputation, Not a Single Slip
Supporters of Cornyn could argue he was simply sharing a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, not signing his name to every word of it. That defense has some weight. A repost is not a sworn statement of belief, and Cornyn has not issued a public explanation of his reasoning.
But the timing tells its own story. Cornyn chose to amplify a longtime Bush-era strategist attacking a Republican candidate right as Texas conservatives were already accusing Cornyn of being out of touch with the party’s base. Charlie Kirk had already described Cornyn as aligned with the “corporate establishment” rather than everyday Texas Republicans, a label this repost does nothing to shake.
Why the Backlash Landed So Fast
Social media users reacted within hours, and not kindly. Commenters called Rove and Cornyn “globalist Bolsheviks,” grouped them with Bill Kristol as establishment figures who would “switch to vote Dem,” and one Texas GOP official publicly denounced both men by name. The reaction shows how little patience the party’s base has left for anything resembling establishment signaling.
As an Elected Republican Official in the Great State of Texas, I Wendy Sue Yockey, DENOUNCE John Cornyn & Karl Rove for their efforts to sabotage & destroy the Texas GOP Candidates.
I stand with @bofrench & @KenPaxtonTX & all other Republicans on the Midterm Ballot 2026. pic.twitter.com/ssaJtA4sxA
— Wendy Yockey (@YockeyWendy) September 17, 2026
Whether Cornyn meant to endorse Rove’s full argument or just share a notable column, the optics work against him. Texas conservatives already voted him out once for looking too comfortable with the party’s old guard. Amplifying a column that tells Republicans to vote Democrat only confirms the very reputation that cost him his Senate seat.
Sources:
thegatewaypundit.com, x.com, alternet.org
