Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke with Texas reporters on Thursday afternoon. The senior senator from the Lone Star State is the most prominent Texas Republican to go against former President Trump’s 2024 campaign for a second term. He wants to win in 2024 and doesn’t think Trump as the candidate will do that.

“We need to come up with an alternative,” Cornyn said. “I think President Trump’s time has passed him by and what’s the most important thing to me is we have a candidate who can actually win.”

Cornyn was asked about Trump’s performance during a prime time CNN town hall last week. Did it give him pause about Trump’s efforts to win the party’s nomination? Apparently Cornyn was not impressed with what he saw. Trump is the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary race. He is supported by 56% of Republican voters in national poll averages. DeSantis runs second with only about a third of that support. DeSantis is expected to officially enter the Republican primary next week.

So far, eleven of the 49 Republicans in the Senate have endorsed Trump. None have endorsed anyone else in the primary. Few have publicly come out against Trump’s candidacy. Cornyn is a top lieutenant to Minority Leader McConnell. Another on the short list is Senator Todd Young (R-IN). He came out against Trump last week after a jury found him liable for sexual assault decades ago and after he declared during the CNN town hall that he would pardon people involved in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The junior senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, has remained neutral. It should be noted that Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign manager, Jeff Roe, is now chief strategist for the DeSantis political action committee.

Cornyn noted the difference between winning primaries and a general election.

“To me, this all boils down to electability. I’ve been through quite a few elections in my life. And there’s no prize for coming in second. In other words, losing,” Cornyn said. “Unless you can win an election, you don’t get to govern your priorities.”

“I don’t think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base. There’s no question that President Trump has some enthusiastic supporters as part of his base. That works well for him in a Republican primary, but not well when you need to expand your appeal in a general election,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn is speaking a bit firmer against Trump’s candidacy than he did last week immediately after the CNN town hall. After the town hall, he told CNN that he’s concerned about Trump’s electability but would let the process play out during the primaries. “He’s got a unique ability to rally his base, but not to grow beyond his base, which is a problem.

Cornyn is right. Trump’s base is still with him and many declare they won’t vote for anyone else. The problem is that there are not enough of them to bring a Trump victory. Republican voters really want to win in 2024, tired of losing elections that should have been won by Republicans. Like the red wave that never came, it’s been bitterly disappointing to see Democrats win those races.

Trump has lost two important voting blocks – suburban women and independent voters. I know there are exceptions but generally speaking, they are lost to him. They won’t be convinced to go back and vote for Trump in 2024 if they didn’t vote for him in 2020. Trump has done nothing to win them back – especially when he starts rehashing the 2020 presidential election. Voters have moved on and want to know what he will do now if he is elected. He should be talking up his successes in office – of which he had many – and remind voters how good things were going before the pandemic struck. Voters who are stressed over today’s economic conditions, the porous southern border, Putin’s war in Ukraine, and our loss of energy independence should be reminded that during Trump’s term in office, the economy was booming, American taxpayers received tax cuts, the border was as secure as it can be, Trump did not start any wars, and for the first time ever, the United States became energy independent. Drill, baby, drill. That is what Trump needs to talk about in his campaign speeches – it is a winning message.

Other Republican senators who oppose Trump in 2024 are Mitt Romney and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Romney voted to convict Trump in two impeachment trials and Cassidy voted guilty at the second impeachment trial.

Senator Young paraphrased Trump. “As President Trump says, I prefer winners…. He consistently loses,” he told Huffpo. “I can’t think of someone worst equipped to bring people together… and advance our collective values.”

Cornyn isn’t picking a favorite. “I know several of them and they’re friends,” he said. “If they can win, I’ll be happy to support them.” He said that DeSantis has “been very successful in Florida.” That shows an ability to win crossover votes.

I expect Cornyn will get the usual criticism of being a RINO for saying Trump won’t win the election. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong. The election is a long way off. It is months before the first primary is held. We’ll know more when DeSantis gets in the race and it takes off. And, we have to see how Joe Biden holds up. He has been particularly incoherent lately when he speaks and he’s certainly not physically stronger. No one wants to think about a Kamala Harris presidency. She is more unpopular than Biden is. Yet, even with Biden’s unpopularity, he’ll win re-election if Republicans do not choose wisely. Democrats are serious about keeping their grip on power. Republicans have to get serious, too.