Wall Street Journal Editorial Board

The WSJ ed board is pro-free-trade, pro-free-markets, pro-legal-immigration, hawkish on Russia/China, pragmatic on social issues, deeply institutionalist, and increasingly critical of MAGA excess while remaining center-right. The board has been explicit on this race: Cornyn is, in their framing, 'the senator the Senate Republican conference actually wants to keep,' and they have framed the Trump endorsement of Paxton as electorally damaging to the GOP. Cornyn fits the WSJ framework about as cleanly as any current Republican senator does: tax cuts, free trade, anti-broadest-tariffs, pro-Ukraine, pro-NATO, Gang-of-Eight legal-immigration engagement, institutional Republican posture, and clean process record. Paxton picks up some points on tax cuts, deregulation, energy, and crypto framework, but loses heavily on Trump tariffs, institutional corruption, Ukraine, and the chaos of his AG record.