The defeats of Senators Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn and Representatives Thomas Massie and Dan Crenshaw are powerful examples of what happens to Republicans In Name Only who campaign as conservatives but oppose Trump and his America First agenda when it counts.
Among the most prominent RINO casualties was Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. The 11-year senator drew the ire of Trump supporters after joining the Democrats in voting to impeach the President following January 6. After losing, Cassidy published an essay criticizing the direction of the party while calling for unity.
Texas Senator John Cornyn spent years trying to balance establishment Republican politics with support for President Trump. In the end, Republican voters chose Trump-endorsed Attorney General Ken Paxton instead. In one of the shrewdest moves of the campaign season, Paxton said he would quit the race if Cornyn and the Senate leadership embraced the Save America Act, a widely popular measure that would require voter ID and prohibit noncitizens from voting. The four-term senator and former Texas attorney general couldn’t get it done and suffered the consequences.
Following his defeat, Cornyn kept up his attacks on Paxton from the campaign and announced he would be more willing to publicly challenge Trump on the issues. Having lost by 30 points, he is seen as part of a faction of RINOs increasingly resentful over Trump’s nationwide influence.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky frequently found himself at odds with President Trump on spending, foreign policy and executive authority. Their long-running feud culminated in Trump labeling Massie a “Pathetic RINO” before the sitting congressman’s 10-point defeat.
Representative Dan Crenshaw’s relationship with the MAGA grassroots deteriorated over several years. He dismissed claims that the 2020 election was stolen and frequently criticized the party’s populist wing. After losing his primary, he blamed a “culture of misinformation” and suggested voters had ignored the facts. Trump supporters viewed those remarks as further evidence that Crenshaw did not understand—or respect—the concerns of the Republican base that ultimately voted him out.