Ken Paxton didn't need Trump's endorsement to beat Cornyn, Texas voters say

By Fox News · Fox News

PLANO, Texas – Supporters at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s election night watch party in Plano said Tuesday they were firmly behind the Republican Senate candidate long before President Donald Trump endorsed him. Inside a Marriott hotel ballroom, attendees balancing plates of brisket and nachos told Fox News Digital they viewed Trump’s late endorsement as helpful, but not the driving force behind Paxton’s support. Instead, many pointed to his legal battles against the Biden administration, his conservative credentials and his years as a prominent figure in Texas politics. Trump’s endorsement, which came exactly a week before Tuesday's runoff election against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, added fresh momentum to one of the nation’s highest-profile GOP contests. The race has stretched on for more than a year and became the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history. MAGA TRIUMPH: TRUMP ALLY KEN PAXTON DEFEATS CORNYN IN BITTER TEXAS GOP PRIMARY WAR Several supporters said they believed Paxton had already built deep loyalty among Texas conservatives well before Trump formally backed his campaign. "I was at the rally when Trump endorsed Paxton, and honestly, I felt like he already had the support," said Lisa Full of McKinney, Texas. "I don’t think the endorsement changed much for most people because we were already behind Paxton. It may have helped with some voters, but the majority of people I talked to were already supporting him." Full, who said she knows Paxton through church, also argued that many Republican voters had grown frustrated with Cornyn over the years and were eager for a serious challenger to emerge. "Texans have been very unhappy with Cornyn for a very long time," Full told Fox News Digital. "We just couldn’t get rid of him because nobody strong would run against him. This is probably the first real hope we’ve had of Cornyn not getting it." ‘PUT US DOWN FOR KEN PAXTON’: TEXAS VOTERS ENERGIZED AHEAD OF SENATE RUNOFF Other supporters pointed to P…