Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) has endorsed Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the race for Senate majority leader, giving Mr. Cornyn his first public endorsement.
“No one has done more to restore the majority than he has,” Hawley said in a statement. “He has tirelessly raised millions of dollars for competitive Senate races, including mine.”
Mr. Cornyn has raised nearly $33 million for Republican Senate candidates this election cycle, according to people familiar with his political activities.
punch bowl news First reported support. Hawley noted that Cornyn supports the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The law, which reauthorizes a program that compensates people exposed to radiation from uranium mining and nuclear bomb testing, is one of Missouri’s top legislative priorities.
Notably, Mr. Cornyn and Sen. John Thune (R.S.D.), who is currently in the House minority and is running for majority leader; voted against March bill.
Hawley also cited Cornyn’s ability to “work closely and effectively” with Trump as a reason for his support. Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Thune are widely seen as front-runners in a three-way race with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), but both have broken with Mr. Trump several times and are concerned about their relationship with the president-elect. It was also dangerous.
Hawley was one of the first Republican senators to publicly endorse a candidate in the race. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. Mike Rounds, RS.D. Mark Wayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has endorsed Mr. Thune, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has publicly supported Mr. Scott.
Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Tuesday, where Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is scheduled to host a forum with all three candidates. The leadership election will be held by secret ballot on Wednesday.
