Sen. John Cornyn presented Sen.-elect James Talarico with the Sam Houston portrait that had hung above his desk during a meeting in the outgoing senator’s office on Monday, according to Mediaite. The gesture followed Talarico’s victory over Republican nominee Ken Paxton by just over 12 points in the Texas Senate race.
Cornyn had chosen not to campaign with Paxton or raise funds for him after the primary. During that contest, he called Paxton a “conman and fraud” and stated he was “not going to turn over the Senate seat that was once held by Sam Houston to somebody like him.” He later indicated he would “support the Republican ticket,” though he stayed off the campaign trail with the nominee.
On election night, Cornyn wrote that the “voters have spoken” and said, “I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate.” The two men later shared a photo of themselves smiling and shaking hands.
Cornyn hands over the portrait and discusses the Senate transition
Talarico said Cornyn “has served our state honorably” and that he was “grateful for his advice and guidance.” He added, “Now is the time for us to come together – Democrats and Republicans – to deliver for Texas.”
Speaking on C-SPAN that day, Cornyn acknowledged that “obviously [Talarico’s] politics are different from mine” but said, “I wish him well.” He described assisting with the transition as his “responsibility,” noting that “I’ve had the honor of representing 32 million Texans for a long time, and that’s where my allegiance lies.” Cornyn has also been blunt about the president since his own primary loss, and predicted that Trump is about to have the most miserable two years of his life ahead.
Asked whether Talarico was worthy of the seat once held by Sam Houston, Cornyn answered, “I am bequeathing him the Sam Houston portrait over my desk,” and provided a photo of the artwork. Houston had served as president of the Republic of Texas, as one of the state’s first U.S. senators after annexation, and later as governor.
A longtime Texas Republican consultant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We’ve known that’s why [Cornyn] was in this fight, that he didn’t want a piece of sh–t like Paxton in Sam Houston’s seat.” The consultant said Talarico was “meeting the moment” and “knocking it out of the park right now,” and described the outreach between the parties as “it’s gorgeous, these people are adulting.”
President Donald Trump told 60 Minutes that “Cornyn would’ve lost also.” Cornyn pointed out that he defeated Democrat MJ Hegar by 9.6 points in 2020, while Trump carried Texas by 5.6 points in the same election.
He said, “Of course it is true that Trump was an albatross around all Republicans’ necks, but some of the down ballot wipeout might’ve been averted. Paxton never had a good response to the corruption charges, which were all true. That resulted in many Republicans either voting for Talarico or not voting at all. This midterm election, like most midterm elections, was a referendum on the president with predictable results.”
The senator’s friction with Trump dates to his primary, which he lost after Trump backed his opponent, and he has since supported a probe into Trump Jr.
Published: Nov 10, 2026 07:00 am