Senator John Cornyn has picked up his first official primary challenger, and it is a familiar one for the longtime Republican legislator.
On Monday, Dwayne Stovall announced his intention to challenge Cornyn in the Republican primary for Texas’ U.S. Senate seat in 2020. Stovall, a Liberty County business owner, previously challenged Cornyn in the 2014 primary for his seat, winning 11 percent of the vote in a crowded eight candidate field. Cornyn received 59 percent of the vote in that contest.
In a statement released with his announcement, Stovall blasted Cornyn on a number of issues, saying as an alternative, Stovall wants to “start putting Texans first.”
“Cornyn has routinely disappointed Texans for almost two decades,” Stovall said. “He is not a fighter. He is a compromiser. He embraces climate change, red flag laws, gun control, and no one will forget his vote to allow Obamacare's funding to go forward, or his many votes to allow the government to illegally collect our phone calls, emails, and texts. There is no way John Cornyn should go unchallenged through the primary. Conservative Texans deserve better. Much better.”
Stovall had previously declared his intention to challenge Cornyn as an independent candidate in 2020. His decision to run in the primary leaves just candidates vying for the Republican and Democratic nominations for Senate. On the Democratic side, Cristina Ramirez, Chris Bell, Royce West, Adrian Ocegueda, MJ Hegar, Michael Cooper, and Sema Hernandez are running for the seat.
Interested candidates have until December to declare their candidacies and file for a spot on the ballot. Ballot filings will officially begin in mid-November.
Stovall/Photo by Campaign