Sen. John Cornyn’s public shift on preserving the Senate filibuster to push the SAVE Act has set off a sharp political fight, with former senator Joe Manchin leading the criticism. Cornyn says the change is pragmatic, arguing Democrats have closed the door on negotiation, while opponents call it a flip for political gain.
Former senator Joe Manchin fired back hard, accusing Cornyn of abandoning a long-held principle for short-term politics. “When I was a U.S. Senator, there was not another person more committed to keeping the filibuster than Senator John Cornyn,” Manchin in a scathing social media post Thursday. “He understood the incredible political pressure I faced from my former party to get rid of the filibuster and give Democrats complete power — and at the time, he understood why neither party should take our country past this point of no return.” “These extreme election-year politics that put party power over everything else are why Americans are sick and tired of the duopoly of the two-party system of Democrats and Republicans,” Manchin added.
Cornyn, who is running for another Senate term, urged colleagues to consider setting aside the 60-vote threshold to advance the SAVE Act, a proposal backed by former President Trump to tighten federal election rules. The SAVE Act faces unified Democratic opposition, and Cornyn framed his appeal as a response to what he calls an inflexible Democratic stance that blocks negotiation and action.
https://x.com/Sen_JoeManchin/status/2032112996349079841
The Texas Republican’s op-ed made clear this isn’t a casual pivot; it’s framed as a response to changing political dynamics. “For many years, I believed that if the U.S. Senate scrapped the filibuster, Texas and our nation would stand to lose more than we would gain,” Cornyn wrote. “But when the reality on the ground changes, leaders must take stock and adapt.”
Cornyn’s pitch comes as he competes in a runoff against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a primary opponent who has been more openly in favor of scrapping the filibuster. President Trump’s backing of the SAVE Act and vocal pressure on Senate Republicans adds urgency, making Cornyn’s calculation not just ideological but electoral as well.
Manchin reminded readers of his own role in 2022, when his vote alongside Kyrsten Sinema and Republicans helped block a push to eliminate the filibuster and pass federal voting legislation. “It’s deeply disappointing to see that Senator Cornyn is now willing to scrap the very rule he once praised and personally thanked me for defending,” Manchin wrote, arguing the move betrays a prior commitment to institutional norms.
Cornyn has denied Manchin’s portrayal of their past conversations and rejected the idea his shift is purely a bid for endorsements. “There’s no Joe Manchins left in the Democratic Party and no Kyrsten Sinemas… this is an entirely different circumstance, dealing with Democrats who will not negotiate or consider anything that President Trump or Republicans want,” the Texas Republican told reporters. “We can either accept that or we can fight back, and I think we should fight back.”
Yet Cornyn’s appeal runs into resistance inside his own conference, where senators warn that nuking the filibuster would be a reckoning. “Senator Cornyn is one of 53 Republican senators, and the opposition to nuking the filibuster runs very, very deep in our conference,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, signaling the difficulty of moving past the 60-vote rule even with vocal pressure.
Manchin has continued to defend the filibuster as a core guardrail for Senate deliberation and minority rights, even after leaving office. “The filibuster — the soul of the Senate — has preserved the Senate’s role for nearly 250 years as the institution that cools passions, protects minority voices, and demands consensus,” Manchin said. “America was built on institutions designed to resist political convenience, not surrender to it.”
The debate over the filibuster’s fate is far from settled, and Cornyn’s stance has sharpened the divide about how to respond to what Republicans describe as Democratic intransigence. Cornyn’s office did not immediately provide additional comment on the disagreement over past conversations and future strategy.
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