Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson stood beside Sen. John Cornyn this week to tout World Cup security plans, while remaining neutral as Cornyn heads into a heated Republican primary.
The incumbent Texas senator later said he was comfortable with that, arguing public officials in nonpartisan roles like mayors often avoid weighing in on contested primaries to avoid alienating supporters.
He’s faced attacks from Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who have accused him of straying from the GOP’s agenda. Cornyn has argued that his voting record aligns with President Donald Trump’s policies.
Johnson previously said he avoids endorsing candidates in partisan races while serving as mayor, though after switching parties in 2023, he took a more overtly political role, founding the Republican Mayors Association and publicly backing Trump during the 2024 campaign.
Political Points
“Typically, I would say public officials don’t like to get involved in contested primaries because they’re going to disappoint some of their own supporters if they choose sides,” Cornyn told The Dallas Morning News after the FIFA discussion Thursday at Dallas police headquarters.
“Mayor Johnson is my friend. I support him, but I’m happy to duke it out with Paxton and Hunt and then we can continue to work together,” he added.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson takes the oath of office delivered by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn during the Dallas City Council’s inauguration ceremony on Tuesday at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Neither Johnson nor his office responded to requests for comment Friday morning.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker took a different approach, endorsing Cornyn in October. Her predecessor, Betsy Price, who served as mayor from 2011 to 2021, also endorsed him.
Thursday’s discussion of FIFA security and public-safety planning came weeks after downtown Dallas — a focal point for visitors during the international tournament’s run — was pulled into a political fight, with Gov. Greg Abbott seizing on AT&T’s planned relocation to Plano to criticize Dallas leaders’ approach to police funding and efforts to address homelessness.
Abbott, who is also running for reelection, made the comments at a Jan. 6 political event in Fort Worth alongside Tarrant County elected officials and police union leaders.
“It’s the responsibility of local leaders to fully fund local law enforcement,” Abbott said in response to a question about voter-approved charter amendments requiring the Dallas Police Department to boost officer staffing. “Because Dallas did not do that, AT&T is now moving out of downtown Dallas.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (left) and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, get a tour of the Dallas Police Museum following a roundtable discussion about security preparations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at Dallas police headquarters.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
The next day, Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux pushed back, telling The News that Abbott’s remarks were “not a true depiction of what’s going on in Dallas.”
At the news conference Thursday, Johnson did not respond when he and Cornyn were asked about public safety in downtown Dallas and Abbott’s criticism. Cornyn said public safety was a priority for the mayor and pointed to the police department’s push to reach 4,000 officers, the staffing requirement voters approved in a 2024 charter amendment.
Afterward, Cornyn told The News that he had heard Abbott’s remarks but deferred to Johnson, saying it was a local issue, not a federal one.
The primary is March 3, with early voting beginning Feb. 17 and running through Feb. 27.
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