GOP Sen. Cornyn Says He Texted Manchin About Switching Parties

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) left, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), head to the chamber as the Senate steers toward a voting marathon on the Democrats' $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill at the Capitol on March 5, 2021. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said during a Dec. 21 interview that he had texted moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) about joining the Republican Party amid the vitriolic backlash over Manchin’s decision to vote against his party’s $1.85 trillion social spending legislation.

Cornyn told KXAN, an Austin, Texas-based radio station, that he had reached out to Manchin following the West Virginian’s Dec. 19 appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” when he announced his decision to not support the spending measure.