The outgoing senator said requiring voters to register with a party — and limiting GOP primary access to registered Republicans — would be “paving the way to minority party status.”
Sen. John Cornyn on Friday came out against top Texas Republicans’ efforts to close the state’s GOP primaries, warning that to do so would be “paving the way to minority party status.”
Texas is one of 17 states with open primaries, where eligible voters can register without declaring a party affiliation and then vote in either party’s primary, a system proponents say helps drive voter participation. The Texas Republican Party and its top elected leaders, citing concerns about Democrats infiltrating GOP primaries, have pushed to close the contests by requiring voters to register with a party — and limiting access to registered Republicans.
Cornyn, arguing the move would backfire on his party, promoted on social media a Dallas Morning News op-ed that argued closed primaries would further curtail turnout, concentrating power in “an increasingly narrow group of voters who meet a particular political test.” In his post, Cornyn shared the op-ed title, which called closed primaries “a threat to Texas voters,” and added, “Exactly.” He then wrote, “Democrats haven’t turned Texas blue; Republican’s [sic] might.”
A Cornyn spokesperson declined to expand on the senator’s comment.
Source: Samanta Habashy, The Texas Tribune
Photo Credit: From left: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn visits Corpus Christi on May 22, 2026, to talk about his reelection campaign. Pete Garcia for The Texas Tribune
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