A prominent Republican senator is denouncing his own party while lamenting the lack of an official presidential endorsement in the highly contentious Texas Republican Senate runoff election.

Agreeing that it is a mistake for President Donald Trump to withhold his endorsement of either Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) warned, “I think the more time we spend millions of dollars with Republican-on-Republican violence, Democrats are in the marketing department, loving the idea of a competitive runoff.”

“I get tired of Republicans being lazy and unstrategic,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju, appearing to suggest there are other ways for one of the candidates to pull ahead.

“People on my side of the aisle, and people at the far right of the political spectrum, are trying to swing for the fences, and they’re not gonna succeed,” he warned.

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A runoff election between Cornyn and Paxton will take place on May 26, and the president has yet to endorse either contender.

Reports suggest a Cornyn endorsement is more likely, although Paxton has been a reliable MAGA supporter. Trump has even suggested that whichever candidate does not get his backing should quit the race entirely, clearing the way for the presumptive nominee to battle the Democratic nominee, James Talarico.

“The Republican Primary Race for the United States Senate in the Great State of Texas,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, on March 4, “cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW! We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively!”

He vowed to make his endorsement “soon,” but has yet to do so.

Each passing day gives Talarico more time to campaign and build his war chest as the two GOP contenders spend their time and money battling each other.

Thom Tillis says it’s mistake for Trump to withold endorsement in #txsen over Save Act, rails on intraparty feud

“The more time we spend millions of dollars with Republican on Republican violence, Democrats” will benefit.

“I get tired of Republicans being lazy and unstrategic.” pic.twitter.com/KpH7LYoqNE

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 16, 2026

READ MORE: Gas Prices Near $4 in These Five States

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Gas prices are continuing to substantially increase, with five states now hovering near $4 a gallon and several others seeing sharp increases as President Donald Trump’s war in Iran enters its 17th day.

“Big gas price hikes just now starting to happen in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri today, which will likely push the national average to $3.75-$3.80 by mid-week,” reports Patrick De Haan, the head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy.

But, he also notes that Michigan and the Chicago area are already seeing $3.99 per gallon as of Monday. Indiana drivers are seeing $3.89, and Ohio and Kentucky are seeing $3.79 per gallon.

De Haan directly attributes the increases to the summer gasoline changeover and the ongoing Iran situation.

“The national average is up 80.0 cents from a month ago and is 66.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago,” WANE reports, citing GasBuddy’s data.

Drivers should not expect to see prices come down significantly anytime soon.

“Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel prices is likely to persist,” De Haan said. “At the same time, seasonal forces are beginning to intensify as several regions complete the transition to summer gasoline, creating a double headwind that could continue driving pump prices higher in the weeks ahead.”

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President Donald Trump sidestepped a question about putting U.S. troops on the ground in Iran when asked by a reporter on Monday morning.

“I don’t wanna say that,” the president told PBS News’ Liz Landers when asked about putting boots on the ground in what has become a nearly three-week war.

Landers reported that when she asked if his thinking had changed, he said, “No it’s not changed,” but he did not  want to discuss strategy with a reporter.

Landers also reported that Trump “noted when he answered” the phone that it was not a good time to chat because he was in the middle of a “very important meeting” about Iran, but he took time to answer several questions.

Trump insisted that “we’re doing very well” in the Iran war, although he has recently pressured NATO nations and China to help his efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping lane.

The president also told Landers that the Iran war is a “very small price to pay” after years of terror from the regime and “the oil prices will drop like a rock as soon as it’s over.”

Landers noted that when she asked for a timeline on oil prices dropping, he said, “Well as soon as the war is over… I don’t believe it will be long.”

On Friday, a national security and defense expert called the president’s decision to send a Marine expeditionary unit and additional warships to the Middle East a “key indicator” of a “possible ground operation.”

The Marine expeditionary unit is expected to consist of several warships and about 5,000 Marines.

Image via Reuters