Heart of Texas Conservatives, a grassroots activist group claiming to have knocked on over 15,000 doors in central Texas for President-elect Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, issued a press release asking U.S. Senators to reject Senator John Cornyn of Texas as the majority leader.
The press release comes hot on the heels of the Tarrant County and Dallas County Republican Parties’ resolutions calling for a rejection of John Cornyn as a candidate for the role.
McLennan County Republican Party Chairman Chris DeCluitt disagreed with these resolutions. He also told Texas Scorecard he would not entertain a motion for one on this issue.
“It’s a way of shooting yourself in the foot,” said DeCluitt. “If Cornyn does get it and we turn in a resolution against him, it’s potentially going to piss him off, so we don’t need to do that. And really, what good would come of it?”
The HOT Conservatives press release reflects a growing rift in the McLennan Republican Party. Its members include five precinct chairs, city council members, judges, and activists unsatisfied with their county party’s direction.
Regarding the press release, DeCluitt said, “As party chair, I need to represent all the Republicans in the county. It’s fine for Devvie and them to do it because they’re not elected officials, they’re activists, which is fine. I’m going to sit here because the last thing we need is division.”
The group’s press release states:
President Trump won overwhelmingly on his America First agenda.We urge Senators to respect the vote of the American people by electing Rick Scott to be Senate Majority Leader by an open ballot vote. President Trump and the American people deserve transparency and a leader who will work with President Trump.
John Cornyn represents the Uniparty regime. His long history of working and voting for lobbyist interests has been contrary to Texas values and President Trump.
John Cornyn voted against securing our southern border, while voting to send billions of dollars to protect Ukraine including funding Ukraine’s pension system.
John Cornyn undermined our Second Amendment rights. This is particularly concerning in light of the invasion he has allowed across our border. Allowing America to be invaded with foreign criminal gangs, cartels and fentanyl while working to disarm our citizens is indefensible.
John Cornyn voted for excessive spending and tax hikes. When he arrived in the Senate in 2002 our national debt was $6.2 trillion. In 2024, it’s over $34 trillion.
“John Cornyn was booed off the stage at the Texas State Republican Party Convention in 2022 and has been censured by the Republican Party in multiple Texas counties. These facts prevent Heart of Texas Conservatives from supporting Senator Cornyn as Senate Majority Leader,” the release concluded.
Nevertheless, the McLennan County GOP will not hold its quarterly County Executive Committee meeting until early December, well after the U.S. Senators hold a vote for the majority leader this week.
“If the president wants Cornyn or Rick Scott, we’re going to get behind the president,” DeCluitt explained. “The Senate has to be united, even though we have 53 right now, we have to be able to get all 53 of those to get across appointments, because that’s going to be one of the main focuses of the Senate going forward in the early days of the Trump presidency.”
In addition to John Cornyn, U.S. Senators John Thune of South Dakota and Rick Scott of Florida have set their sights on the majority leader position.
