HOUSTON, Texas—Screams of “RINO” and boos drowned out most of what Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) had to say at the Texas state GOP convention Friday.
Ignoring his critics, Cornyn continued speaking over the din about gun legislation, right-to-life issues, and opposing the Green New Deal, which calls for phasing out fossil fuels.
Many delegates expressed frustration over Cornyn’s negotiation with Democrats on gun legislation that would incentivize state red flag laws.
Red flag laws allow the government to confiscate guns from those who may harm themselves or others. Many Republicans feel such laws violate the Second Amendment and give the government a tool to disarm citizens.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tapped Cornyn to negotiate with Democrats to curb gun violence. The bipartisan effort came on the heels of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting where a teen gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in May. President Joe Biden and Democrats are pushing for stricter gun laws.
“No red-flag laws,” the crowd chanted while calling for Cornyn to get off the stage. Several stood up and gave him a thumbs-down sign.
Lincoln Achilli, a delegate from the Trophy Club area in North Texas, told The Epoch Times the red-flag provision in the gun legislation Cornyn worked on isn’t the first time the senator has strayed off the conservative path. He pointed to Cornyn’s work with Democrats on an infrastructure bill.
“He’s consistently wrong,” Achilli said. “I had such high hopes for him. I don’t know what he’s thinking nowadays.”
Not everyone felt Cornyn was in the wrong. “Can you write that some people like Cornyn?” asked a delegate who didn’t wish to be named. She told The Epoch Times that Cornyn was often in a difficult position in the Senate, and her fellow delegates had been disrespectful.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt told The Epoch Times the shout-down was unusual. Republicans seem split on their support of Cornyn, he said, but sometimes they don’t know the details of Cornyn’s work. Bettencourt said that a core group of Second Amendment advocates had vocalized their frustration during the speech.
Tension within the ranks of Texas Republican leadership isn’t new. Some people within the state GOP have been critical of Gov. Gregg Abbott as well.
Abbott was cheered when he spoke at the GOP convention’s welcome reception Thursday.
Abbott has not always been in step with state party leaders. Allen West, former chairman of the Texas Republican Party, criticized Abbott’s handling of the pandemic.
West later resigned his position to run in the Republican primary for governor this spring. West and two other candidates lost to Abbott in the primary.
When Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-Texas) later took the stage, his message was one of a united Republican Party.
He spoke of when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ran in the Republican primary for President of the United States against businessman Donald Trump. Patrick pointed out that while there may have been some friction at first, once Trump was elected president, Cruz and Trump became friends and allies.
He said primaries could cause hard feelings, but Republicans must put those aside. The state GOP needs to come together to defeat Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, who is running against Abbott.
“We must be a family of one come November,” he said. “The Democrats can’t beat us. Only we can beat ourselves.”
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