Texas Republicans, who have been some of Donald Trump鈥檚 most vocal supporters, had mixed reactions to the former president鈥檚 announcement that he will once again run for the White House in 2024 鈥� reflecting a national mood of GOP apprehension toward Trump and the search for a potential other candidate to seek the nomination.
Die-hard supporters like Attorney General and Agricultural Commissioner were quick to tout enthusiastic support for Trump as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
But the state鈥檚 two U.S. senators, Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, have signaled an openness to other GOP candidates, and Gov. and other state officials, who were endorsed by Trump in their own elections, have yet to make a statement about Trump鈥檚 third bid for president.
Former Gov. Rick Perry, who served as Trump鈥檚 energy secretary from 2017 to 2019, did not immediately endorse Trump and said the GOP was early in the process of finding its nominee.
鈥淔or me personally, it鈥檚 kind of like, show me what you got,鈥� . 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 Donald Trump, whether it鈥檚 [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis, whether it鈥檚 somebody that we haven鈥檛 seen yet.鈥�
鈥淚 know how the process works, I respect the process and may the best person win,鈥� he added.
Matt Rinaldi, chair of the Texas GOP, said he was also waiting to see what other candidates jump into the race.
鈥淐ontested primaries are a good thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hoever wins the nomination will be a strong conservative and will take the party forward in 2024 in the right direction.鈥�
Rinaldi said he has not closed the door to supporting Trump but has also been supportive of DeSantis.
鈥淩on DeSantis and his optimistic brand of bold and unapologetic conservatism is a winning brand and the GOP should take note," he wrote on after DeSantis鈥� massive win in Florida on Election Day.
DeSantis is seen as a major potential opponent to Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, after a strong showing on Election Day where he defeated his Democratic opponent by 20 points on a night that Republicans nationwide underperformed.
Mike Pence, Trump鈥檚 vice president, has not closed the door to challenging his former running mate. Cruz is also seen as a potential presidential candidate, however, he鈥檚 declined to answer questions about how Trump鈥檚 announcement affects his aspirations.
A poll commissioned by the Republican Party of Texas this week showed that as their 2024 presidential nominee, which is a flip from their preferences in an October poll.
Trump has long been considered an easy front-runner for the nomination, but Republican apprehension has grown after the poor performance of Trump-aligned candidates in this month鈥檚 midterm elections. Some Republicans think the party could have won Senate seats and more governors if the party had run more traditional GOP candidates over Trump allies, who pushed election denialism, which turned off many voters.
Trump, who is the only president in history to be impeached twice, is also bogged down by his no-holds-barred, divisive style of politics, and his ties to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who refused to believe Trump had lost the election.
Paxton, one of Trump鈥檚 staunchest allies, left no ambiguity about who he would be supporting on Wednesday morning. Trump supported Paxton in a competitive four-way GOP primary for attorney general this year.
鈥淒onald J. Trump鈥檚 efforts to secure our borders, project strength across the globe, expand economic opportunity, & protect our freedoms put our nation back on track,鈥� Paxton said. 鈥淚 am proud to endorse his campaign for President so that he can once again put America First & heal our nation.鈥�
Miller, who was also endorsed by Trump and was one of the first Texas officials to support Trump鈥檚 2016 presidential run, also remained supportive.
鈥淚 was the first elected official to endorse him. I think I endorsed him last January,鈥� Miller said Wednesday morning in a phone interview. 鈥淚 was in before he was.鈥�
Lt. Gov. , who chaired both of Trump鈥檚 Texas campaigns, also praised Trump on Tuesday night but his was not a clear endorsement.
鈥淧resident Trump is the candidate the Democrats fear the most in 2024. If you heard his speech tonight, you know why. It was one of the best he has ever given,鈥� Patrick said. 鈥淎fter two more years of President Biden and the leftist policies of the Democrats, Americans will be ready for America to be Great Again.鈥�
A Patrick spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for clarification, but Patrick has expressed clear support for Trump in the past, introducing him at a Conroe rally in January as the 鈥�45th and soon-to-be 47th president of the United States.鈥�
U.S. Rep. , R-Richmond, was among Texas鈥� first Congress members to endorse Trump on Tuesday night from Mar-a-Lago, where he witnessed the announcement in person.
鈥淢y friend Donald J. Trump has my complete and for president in 2024,鈥� the Richmond Republican said on Twitter.
U.S. Rep. , R-Amarillo, who served as Trump鈥檚 doctor in the White House, was emphatic in his support.
鈥淚 WILL BE VOTING FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP IN 2024!!!!!!鈥� he .
U.S. Rep. , R-San Antonio, he 鈥渓ook[ed] forward to President Trump once again righting the ship鈥� and U.S. Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt of Houston said he 鈥渓ook[ed] forward to enthusiastically supporting Donald Trump鈥檚 bid for the White House.鈥�
Still, there was a notable lack of enthusiasm from Abbott and other statewide officials, including Land Commissioner , who heavily sought out Trump鈥檚 endorsement during his failed challenge to Paxton for the attorney general鈥檚 office. House Speaker , who Trump attacked for not pushing forward an election audit bill during the 2021 legislative session, has also remained quiet. None immediately returned requests for comment.
Even some of Trump鈥檚 staunchest supporters noted the unease around his announcement. Miller said Trump has had some recent drops in polling support and took some tough losses by his endorsed candidates in the midterm elections.
But he said Trump had plenty of time to recover and anticipated he鈥檇 have an easier route to the GOP nomination than in 2016.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like they say in billiards. There鈥檚 a lot of green between here and the pocket,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 still in good shape. The polls switched on him for a bit but he鈥檒l be back.鈥�
