JOHN CORNYN, AT YOUR* SERVICE
In 2012, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was facing an ascendant tea party faction and was leery of political insurrection. Which is why his new minority whip, John Cornyn, the senior senator from Texas, a state with the largest number of Republican voters and a leading exporter of ambitious conservative politicians to Washington, could have been a threat. But Cornyn was not your typical Texas politician. He was ambitious, sure, but not overtly power hungry.
As a fellow traveler of the establishment, Cornyn quickly made it known that he came in peace. A few weeks into their new relationship, he gave a birthday gift to his boss: a framed photo of McConnell, front and center, holding court at a press conference, with Cornyn and another top lieutenant standing behind him. There are thousands of photographs to this effect. Sometimes Cornyn stands behind him off his left shoulder, other times to his right or directly behind, causing his face to be hidden by McConnell’s mug on TV. A shame, really, given Cornyn, who is now 67, has those made-for-CSPAN looks: a tall frame and long, sober face topped with a distinguished head of white hair, senatorial in every sense of the word. He is a stark contrast to McConnell, with his testudinal features and utterly dull affect.
McConnell appreciated the sentiment of this particular snapshot. His new deputy was “a little out of focus and halfway in the shadow,” he fondly recalled. The message accompanying the photo read, “Happy birthday Mitch, I’ve got your back.” McConnell took it as a sign that Cornyn was not only humble and loyal, but also knew his place.
Cornyn has mastered the art of political subservience to the prevailing winds of his party and its leaders. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 by promising to serve as an appendage of George W. Bush and has since meticulously climbed the ranks of power. While this approach has not made him a political star, it has won him a cast of powerful friends, who have transfused that power to him.
But as he approaches his 2020 reelection campaign, Texas Democrats have slapped a big target on the senator’s back. Several candidates have jumped into the race, convinced they can build on the party’s historic inroads in 2018 and win statewide.
It likely won’t be that simple. Some observers think that the 2018 results—fueled by a once-in-a-generation Democratic candidate and a highly divisive incumbent—are the equivalent of a 100-year political flood. And while Cornyn is a leading member of a party that has tied its political future to
