Cruz watches Cornyn as he speaks. Fellow Texan Cornyn won't back Cruz in presidential primary

Sen. Rand Paul may have fellow Kentuckian Mitch McConnell’s support for his likely 2016 presidential bid. But Sen. Ted Cruz won’t have his senior senator from Texas, John Cornyn, behind him.

Cornyn, the Senate majority whip, said in an interview Monday that he would stay neutral in the Republican primary, declining to endorse Cruz just hours after he became the first candidate to officially declare his presidential run.


“You know, we’ve got a lot of Texans who are running for president, so I’m going to watch from the sidelines,” Cornyn said when asked if he would back Cruz. (Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is considering a run as well.)

Cornyn denied his position was retribution for Cruz’s refusal to back him during his Senate primary last year.

Cornyn’s position does not come as much of a surprise. The tea party freshman refused to back Cornyn during the senator’s crowded primary race last year, unlike in Kentucky where Paul aggressively campaigned for McConnell last year and backed him during his primary bid. But Cruz insisted he would stay neutral in Cornyn’s primary race, which he easily won.

While Cornyn and Cruz are on friendly personal terms, they have been on the opposite sides on a number of tactical disagreements, including over the 2013 government shutdown fight. And the young Texan consistently bashes the Senate leadership team where Cornyn serves in the second-ranking spot.

While such public endorsements may not move voters in early states like Iowa or New Hampshire, the backing of powerful members of Congress can help upstart candidates tap vast donor networks. Cornyn has built a deep campaign war chest after running three times in an expensive state like Texas as well as chairing the National Republican Senatorial Committee in two straight cycles.

“Nope,” Cornyn said when asked if he would lend his financial support to Cruz. “You got a lot of people involved, and I don’t see any benefit to them or to me.”

Overall, Cruz is unlikely to get much, if any support from his Senate GOP colleagues, something he plans to use to his advantage in his presidential run. In his kickoff speech at Liberty University on Monday, Cruz said he would be a “courageous conservative,” an indication that he believes many fellow Republicans in Washington have been too willing to compromise on their party’s principles.