Moran Won't Endorse Paxton Personally After Backing Cornyn; Warren Picks Hene Over Moran's Nix in Tyler Mayor Race

U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) met with Ken Paxton after the attorney general defeated Moran's pick, Sen. John Cornyn, in the Republican Senate runoff, but he told KLTV he will not give Paxton a personal endorsement even as he supports the Republican ticket in November. That position puts Moran at odds with President Trump, who backed Paxton, and sets up a test of whether the East Texas congressman pays a political price for it. Meanwhile, outgoing Tyler Mayor Don Warren, whose term ends June 24, is backing a different mayoral candidate than Moran in the June 13 runoff, drawing a clear line between the two men who shared the same KLTV interview segment Friday.

Moran Draws a Character Line on Paxton

Moran's Cornyn endorsement was notable for its rarity. He described it as the first Republican primary endorsement of his congressional career, writing to supporters that "character and trust are two things we need a whole lot more of." Paxton won the May 26 runoff anyway, backed by a late Trump endorsement that proved decisive.

On KLTV's East Texas Politics on East Texas Now, hosted by Blake Holland, Moran addressed the retribution question directly. He said he did not come to Washington to "stick his finger in the wind to figure out what political winds should determine his decisions." He also posted on social media that he had a "very good policy-focused meeting" with Paxton to discuss working together at the state and federal level, listing secure borders, safe communities, economic growth and increased liberty as shared priorities. Supporting the Republican ticket in November is where Moran draws his line. A personal endorsement of Paxton is not coming.

That distinction matters. Moran was one of seven current Republican House members from Texas who backed Cornyn, a group that now has to navigate a general election cycle with Paxton as the nominee. Paxton's victory was described by the Texas Tribune as "a crushing blow to the Texas GOP's old guard." Moran also discussed his vote against the War Powers Act resolution and raised the prospect of East Texas playing a role in domestic lithium mining for the U.S. military, a topic that could carry real economic weight for the region.

The Tyler Mayor's Race Splits Two Local Power Brokers

The Tyler mayoral runoff has drawn endorsements from both ends of the local political spectrum, and Moran and Warren landed on opposite sides. Moran endorsed John Nix, while Warren backed Stuart Hene, the current District 1 city councilman. Both men made their cases on the same KLTV segment, airing Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a Sunday encore.

Nix led the four-candidate May 2 field with about 32% of the vote, while Hene finished second at about 26%, forcing the runoff. Nix is a former District 6 council member. Hene is a current District 1 councilmember and attorney who was born and raised in Tyler, now in his third term on the council. Warren's endorsement of Hene carries the implicit argument that Hene would continue the work Warren started, including the Downtown Improvement Project.

The endorsement split is not just personal preference. Moran previously served as Smith County Judge before winning his congressional seat, giving him a deep institutional footprint in Tyler. Warren has held the mayor's office since November 2020, winning that election with 70% of the vote. Both carry real credibility with Tyler voters, and their backing of different candidates means neither Nix nor Hene enters June 13 with a unified establishment behind him.

Warren Reflects on Six Years, Hene Gets His Blessing

Warren used the KLTV appearance to look back on his tenure and make the case for Hene as his successor. His term ends June 24, when the next mayor is sworn in. In his public endorsement statement, Warren said the city needs "a mayor who believes in the future of Tyler" and "a mayor who is trusted by our firefighters and law enforcement officers." Hene has received endorsements from both the Tyler Patrolman's Association and the Tyler Professional Firefighters Association.

Turnout is a real variable in this race. Only about 8,852 voters out of 136,072 registered voters in Smith County cast ballots in the May 2 election, less than 10% participation. Early voting in the runoff had drawn more than 3,200 ballots through Wednesday of this week, with Election Day still ahead. Both campaigns are fighting what Nix himself called "voter fatigue" after four voting opportunities this spring.

The runoff vote is June 13. Warren's successor takes the oath June 24. Moran, for his part, will keep watching a Paxton-led Republican ticket head into a November general election against Austin Democrat James Talarico, a race he will support without personally vouching for the man at the top of it.