Who is John Cornyn? Top things to know about the Texas senator

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Cornyn on 2020 elections in Texas: Republicans 'expect a real fight'

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas joins 'The Daily Briefing' to discuss his reelection bid and the outlook for both parties.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a traditional conservative who has had his seat since 2002, is running for reelection against Democratic challenger MJ Hegar.

He has joined bipartisan bills the third most often compared to Senate party leaders. He was ranked the second most conservative compared to senators serving more than 10 years. He has introduced the third most bills compared to Senate Republicans.

He has focused on social issues during his time in office. He opposes abortion and supports blocking federal funds to organizations that provide them. He is a key Second Amendment advocate, while supporting some bipartisan background check bills. He advocated for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

On foreign policy, he favors trade deals and backs Saudi intervention in Yemen. He strongly supports Israel. He condemned the construction of a 5G network in the U.S. by Chinese company Huawei.

On the economy, he prioritizes job growth and preservation through trade deals and advises caution in trade disputes with China.

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Cornyn has an extensive political history. He is a former Senate majority and minority whip. Prior to federal politics, he was the 49th attorney general of Texas. A former district and Texas Supreme Court judge, Cornyn’s career began in law. He has a degree from Trinity University, where he wrote for the school paper, and from St. Mary’s Law School in San Antonio.

THE LATEST FROM FOX NEWS ON THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

In October, he became the latest GOP senator to distance himself from President Trump.

The Texas Republican likened his relationship with Trump to a marriage He said that he was “maybe like a lot of women who get married and think they’re going to change their spouse, and that doesn’t usually work out very well.”

“I think what we found is that we’re not going to change President Trump,” Cornyn said. “He is who he is. You either love him or hate him, and there’s not much in between."

He said that he has avoided public confrontations with the president when they have differing views.

“But when I have had differences of opinion, which I have, [I] do that privately,” Cornyn said. “I have found that has allowed me to be much more effective, I believe, than to satisfy those who say I ought to call him out or get into a public fight with him.” 

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Republican prospects for holding its 53-47 majority in the Senate have been darkening for months. Democrats are zeroing in on Maine, Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina, as top targets. They are also making a run at widening their Senate map into reliably Republican states, including Iowa and South Carolina.

Texas also makes the list. Two years ago, former congressman Beto O’Rourke came within three points of ousting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a surprisingly close finish that overnight reset Democrats’ perennially low expectations in America’s biggest red state.