Reinforcements joining Cornyn, rival Hegar in final stretch for Senate seat
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and his challenger, former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar, are getting some big-name boosts in the final stretch of their Senate race, including support from a handful of senators.
Hegar was with Sen. Kamala Harris as the vice presidential candidate bounced around Texas on Friday. Hegar also held a virtual “get out the vote” rally Thursday night with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Catherine Marie Cortez Masto of Nevada.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, will join Cornyn on Monday as Cornyn’s bus tour stops in Corpus Christi, Victoria and Dripping Springs. Former Gov. Rick Perry accompanied Cornyn in College Station earlier this week, as well, and the senator was joined by U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert when he stopped in Tyler.
The two candidates are planning a slew of campaign appearances across the state over the final days of the race, though much of the race has been conducted online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cornyn’s bus tour will also stop in Abilene, Fort Worth, Waco, Belton, Liberty Hill and Laredo. Hegar will be in Austin, Del Rio, Laredo, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas.
It is expected to be the closest re-election fight yet for Cornyn, a three-term senator who served as the state’s attorney general and as a Texas Supreme Court justice before moving on to Congress.
While polling has shown the Texas Republican leading throughout, some polls have shown Hegar gaining on him, including a University of Massachusetts-Lowell poll released Thursday that had Cornyn up 5 percentage points after leading by 10 a month ago. Hegar also has raised more money than Cornyn — who has said he expects to be outspent by the Democrat — during the final stretch of the race.