Senior Texas GOP operatives with first-hand, direct knowledge say that Tarrant Party GOP Chairman Bo French, who led a Trump victory in Tarrant County in 2024, is actively testing political and financial support to primary incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in 2026.
Cornyn has held the office for 25 years. He was recently the runner-up to Sen. John Thune in the race to replace Mitch McConnell as the GOP’s Senate leader. Despite being seemingly so close to becoming Senate Majority Leader, Cornyn has never been a favorite with the conservative wing of his party. Many of President-Elect Donald Trump’s supporters and conservative activists are concerned Cornyn will not fully support the incoming president’s Cabinet picks and government reform agenda.
French is an unabashed Trump loyalist and demonstrated his fundraising acuity by raising over a million dollars for TCGOP in just his first year as chair. He hosted record-setting party fundraisers featuring Tucker Carlson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, Sen. Ted Cruz and many others.
He deployed those resources in Tarrant County which is often hyped as the most critical battleground county in Texas to expand GOP margins down ballot as well. Tarrant County is often credited as the largest “urban red county” remaining in America.
French was also the CEO of former State Sen. Don Huffines’ ambitious but unsuccessful 2022 primary against Governor Greg Abbott, which raised $25M. The Huffines campaign’s well-financed challenge to Abbott is at least partially credited (along with Ron DeSantis’ electoral success in Florida) with Abbott moving further right to on issues such as border security and school choice.
French is also a fixture at Mar-a-Largo, and has been spent considerable time at the luxurious Trump compound in the months leading up to last month’s election and since.
He’s also been vocal about Cornyn of late on X, explicitly labeling him a “RINO” (Republican in name only), challenging his lack of public support for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in particular, and explaining how a challenge to Cornyn could be affected if he doesn’t vote for Trump’s cabinet picks and support his legislative agenda with Republicans back in “trifecta” control of the Presidency and both Houses of Congress.
🚨PSA: For all you new people to @X, welcome. We are thrilled you are here. However, when you refer to people like @JohnCornyn , @LindseyGrahamSC and @joniernst, the correct term is not Rhino, it is RINO (Republican in Name Only).
— Bo French (@Bo_French_TX) December 5, 2024
Everyone thinks a primary is easy. It’s not. It takes someone with a track record of taking principled stands and raising money. Someone who knows donors in all the big cities. And someone willing to put up with the viciousness that will come their way. RINOs are dirtier than… https://t.co/dY3XVrJfMG
— Bo French (@Bo_French_TX) December 4, 2024
Cornyn will start his primary campaign with $50 million from Senate leadership. He will raise even more. So when I say “viable” I don’t mean some random X user that no one has ever heard of and has zero track record of raising money. There are exactly 3 people who are viable. https://t.co/AVlrBCz33Z
— Bo French (@Bo_French_TX) December 5, 2024
When reached by phone French declined to comment. Tarrant County State Representative Nate Schatzline said about French when asked about challenging Cornyn, “Bo embodies the America First movement. Texas needs two conservative warriors in the U.S. Senate, not just one.”