Sen. Cornyn draws GOP challenge from Rep. Stockman

Catalina Camia | USA TODAY

Rep. Steve Stockman has launched a primary challenge to Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, setting up a Republican fight that shakes up the 2014 elections and political dynamic in Texas.

Stockman, a firebrand who began this term by declining to vote for John Boehner as House speaker, surprised many when he filed his paperwork to run for the Senate shortly before Monday's deadline.

Although several Republicans had already announced they would run against Cornyn next year, there was widespread belief that the Senate GOP's No. 2 leader had avoided a primary challenge from a candidate with significant Tea Party support on his right.

Now, Cornyn joins Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the small but well-known group of incumbent Republicans with a primary fight on their hands. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Mike Enzi of Wyoming are also targets in GOP primaries.

In an interview with conservative website WND, Stockman said his Senate campaign was prompted by Cornyn's refusal to back Sen. Ted Cruz on a procedural motion aimed at defunding President Obama's health care law — which set the stage for the government shutdown in October.

"We are extremely disappointed in the way he treated his fellow congressmen and broke the 11th commandment and undermined Ted Cruz's fight to stop Obamacare," Stockman told WND.com. "And now, it looks like Cruz was right and Cornyn was wrong. He sided with the president, essentially, in making sure Obamacare became law while Cruz did everything possible to stop it."

Cornyn, who was ranked the second-most conservative senator last year by National Journal, has challenged the Obama administration on key issues such as health care and the deadly attack in 2012 on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. His bid for a third Senate term has been endorsed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Cornyn has a fundraising advantage with $7 million in his campaign account, compared with $32,000 for Stockman. The congressman, who also served one term in the mid-1990s, also has more than $163,000 in campaign debt.

"Senator Cornyn looks forward to discussing his conservative record with Texans," said Brendan Steinhauser, Cornyn's campaign manager. He also noted that Cornyn has been endorsed by Texas Right to Life, which opposes abortion rights.

Matt Mackowiak, a Republican political consultant and co-founder of MustReadTexas.com, said it is unclear whether Stockman can be competitive financially in a large state with expensive media markets. Stockman must also answer questions raised recently by the Houston Chronicle about his fundraising and business operations, Mackowiak said. The congressman has declined to respond to the newspaper's stories about his personal and campaign finances.

"Now we will find out if Senator Cornyn is truly vulnerable, which I have long doubted," Mackowiak said Tuesday. "Conservative activist opposition to Cornyn is mostly stylistic and Stockman will fire up the grass-roots, but it appears unlikely that he will ultimately get his message out widely, and quickly, enough."

There are already signs that Stockman may not be getting help from the Senate GOP campaign committee or the conservative groups that are playing a role in other Republican primaries.

"We are proud to support Sen. Cornyn and while this primary challenge is quite the head scratcher, it will be defeated," said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, in a post on Twitter.

The Senate Conservatives Fund said it hasn't decided yet whether to endorse Stockman and the Club for Growth issued a statement Tuesday saying it is staying out of the race.

"While Congressman Stockman has a pro-economic growth record, so does Senator Cornyn, as witnessed by his 87% lifetime Club for Growth score," said Chris Chocola, president of the anti-tax group. Chocola said Club for Growth's PAC looks at the records of incumbents, the differences between incumbents and challengers on economic issues and "the viability of the challenger."

"None of those factors weigh against Senator Cornyn, so we do not expect to be involved in the Texas Senate race," Chocola said.

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