The Texas primaries brought about some results that sounded alarms for several incumbent politicians. Rep. Dan Crenshaw was trounced in his primary election by Steve Toth, while Tony Gonzalez has bowed out ahead of a runoff with Brandon Herrera, who came in first over the incumbent who has been embroiled in his fiery sex scandals. Going into the primary, Texas Senator John Cornyn has faced fierce opposition from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In a three-man race, Cornyn narrowly took first over with 41.9% compared to Paxton 40.7%. Â Whether the Wes Hunt voters break for Paxton remains to be seen, but it is probable.
John Cornyn has been perceived as a weak Republican on the issue of gun control and other means of undermining the MAGA agenda. He is one of the senators who has been obstructing the passage of the SAVE America Act to the extent that Paxton has leveraged his withdrawal from the race if Cornyn gets the law passed. President Trump is in a precarious position where endorsing Paxton makes the incumbent Cornyn an enemy for the remainder of his time in the Senate.
To sure up his support amongst evangelical voters, Senator Cornyn has created his own Evangelical Advisory Council, which is thus far a glorified press release made through CBN, the televangelist news outlet. White evangelical voters are not only the lone bulwark, but they are also the key to victory in a Texas primary.
I’m proud to launch my Faith Council with trusted leaders like Max Lucado, Dr. Jack Graham, and Dr. Robert Jeffress to stand for faith, family, and freedom in Texas.
We need principled results, not showmanship, to protect life, religious liberty, and our values.
God bless Texas.
The names on the list are recognizable juggernauts in American Christianity.
Max Lucado: Famous for his devotional writers, he is a minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. Lucado has fallen out of favor with conservatives in recent years as he has endorsed egalitarianism and buckled on homosexuality, apologizing for the church’s “harm” by teaching Leviticus 18/20. In the fall of Robert Morris, he did substitute in for Gateway Church.
Robert Jeffress: Of FBC Dallas, Jeffress is a renowned Zionist pastor who has repeatedly endorsed Trump, even participating in White House events. He would be a stalwart in the realm of evangelical politics. His siding with the incumbent is unsurprising.
Jack Graham: This is the most interesting name on the list. Graham pastors one of the largest churches in the SBC and is also home to Jeremiah Johnston. Interestingly enough, it is the church of record for Ken Paxton. In other words, Paxton’s church has sided with John Cornyn over him. Paxton had done business deals with former Prestonwood pastor Mike Buster, whose departure was wrought with accusations of financial impropriety. Last July, Angela Paxton announced a divorce from Ken Paxton, citing the biblical grounds of marital infidelity. Whether that is biblically valid to cite two years after it was aired during Paxton’s impeachment proceedings in the Texas State Senate is debatable. It is also reasonable to speculate that the couple had an “understanding” pertaining to these things, as Angela Paxton has her own political ambitions.
Prestonwood’s participation in politics goes back several years, which makes it logical why Paxton would have attended this church. Scott Turner, the current Housing and Urban Development Secretary, was a member of Prestonwood chosen for a cabinet position in the Trump Administration. Jeremiah Johnston has also been an outspoken advocate for the administration’s openness to IVF. Their political involvement has not been without gimmicks, like their replica of the idolatrous Western Wall with the involvement of Mike Huckabee. Prestonwood’s weight in supporting John Cornyn is a blow to Paxton.
Phil Schubert: President of Abilene Christian University. This is coincidentally where Max Lucado attended. The college is associated with the Church of Christ.
Gus Reyes: The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is in favor of open borders and represents a Hispanic Zionism in American Christianity. Their Public Policy Director, Robert Albino, signed World Relief’s letter denouncing the Trump Administration’s freezing of money to various NGO’s that promote mass immigration in America. The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference also partnered with the Jewish ADL back in October to “co-develop resources including faith-based educational content, digital campaigns, and launch advocacy efforts to counter antisemitism in all its forms.”
Analysis
The Texas Senate primary is heating up going into a contentious run-off, though it cannot be ignored that Cornyn remains the favorite to prevail. This Evangelical Faith Council might not be an endorsement, legally speaking, but it is an endorsement in the eyes of public opinion.
It can also not be ignored that the personal problems in Paxton’s life pose legitimate risks for his candidacy. He has a real sex scandal that has been attested to in a court of law. He has allegations of shady business dealings. Overall, this paints the picture that he is a slimy guy, but nevertheless, he is the better candidate on the issues and would unlikely obstruct the Trump agenda as Cornyn has. In the event of his victory, look for Christian outlets to tout Talarico as the more “Christian” candidate despite being pro-sodomy.
Look for “Never-Paxton” Christians to emerge over his sex scandal, which has no bearing on the actual issues. Again, it should be noted that the overtly “Christian” politicians have been abysmal in the Senate, with Senator James Langford being an open borders Southern Baptist. Mass immigration still remains the number one issue in politics. Better the slimy adulterer that is for mass deportations than the open borders Christian.
