Cornyn says closed primaries could backfire on Texas GOP, breaking with Abbott, Paxton
By Samanta Habashy, The Texas Tribune
June 26, 2026
WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn on Friday came out against top Texas Republicans’ efforts to close the state’s GOP primaries, warning that to do so would be “paving the way to minority party status.”
Texas is one of 17 states with open primaries, where eligible voters can register without declaring a party affiliation and then vote in either party’s primary, a system proponents say helps drive voter participation. The Texas Republican Party and its top elected leaders, citing concerns about Democrats infiltrating GOP primaries, have pushed to close the contests by requiring voters to register with a party — and limiting access to registered Republicans.
Cornyn, arguing the move would backfire on his party, promoted on social media a Dallas Morning News op-ed that argued closed primaries would further curtail turnout, concentrating power in “an increasingly narrow group of voters who meet a particular political test.” In his post, Cornyn shared the op-ed title, which called closed primaries “a threat to Texas voters,” and added, “Exactly.” He then wrote, “Democrats haven’t turned Texas blue; Republican’s [sic] might.”
A Cornyn spokesperson declined to expand on the senator’s comment.
Cornyn’s remark puts him at odds with Gov. Greg Abbott, who used his speech at this month’s state GOP convention to back closed primaries for the first time, and the state party again listed it among its top priorities for the next legislative session.
The governor’s support is the latest sign of momentum for the push to bar Democrats and independents from voting in Republican nominating contests, an effort that had previously languished. Last October, Cornyn’s then-primary opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, joined the Texas GOP’s pending lawsuit seeking to strike down open primaries in court.
The suit, which argues the status quo violates the GOP’s constitutional right to freedom of association by allowing crossover voters to boost moderates, was opposed by Abbott-appointed Secretary of State Jane Nelson. The former GOP state senator announced in early June she would step down as Texas’ top election official next month.
Cornyn has bemoaned the scant voter participation in his May runoff loss to Paxton, suggesting it contributed to the outcome. And yet, the turnout of just under 8% of registered voters statewide likely would have been even smaller with a closed primary.
“If Texas adopted party registration and the Republican Party adopted a closed primary, in which only registered Republicans could participate, that would lower turnout in the primary and likely make that turnout more highly partisan and ideological, perhaps making them less attractive in the general election,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
As Cornyn prepares his exit from the Senate, having lost to Paxton in the May Republican primary runoff, his stance lands as the latest in a string of recent parting shots at his party’s right flank. He has also feuded with Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, for example, arguing Lee’s uphill battle to overcome a filibuster and pass the GOP’s priority voting restrictions bill amounts to “fantasy.”
Disclosure: Southern Methodist University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.