President Donald Trump is heading to Corpus Christi, Texas on Friday for an energy- and economy-focused speech just days before the state’s Republican Senate primary. But the three leading candidates fighting for the nomination haven’t been invited to join him.
Trump has withheld his support in the pricey three-way race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
“I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet. It’s got a ways to go, and I haven’t,” Trump said last week when asked about a possible endorsement in the race. “I like all three of them, actually. Those are the toughest races. They’ve all supported me. They’re all good. You’re supposed to pick one, so we’ll see what happens. But I support all three.”
Despite Senate candidates not receiving invitations, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Trump-endorsed House members from nearby districts are expected to attend, according to a senior White House official.
Nearly $100 million has been spent on campaign advertising across the Republican and Democratic Senate primaries, including at least $59 million spent by Cornyn and political action committees supporting him, according to AdImpact. The Republican primary is widely expected to go to a runoff.
“President Trump looks forward to returning to the great State of Texas next week to discuss the economy and tout his ‘Drill Baby Drill’ agenda,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
The visit will be Trump’s first trip following his State of the Union address on Tuesday — and his first visit to Texas since surveying the damage from the catastrophic flooding in Kerrville last summer.
Jake Traylor is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.