Sen. Roger Wicker says GOP colleague John Cornyn of Texas will win his primary

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn’s bid for re-election got a boost this week from a GOP colleague and one of the top newspapers in his state.

Mr. Cornyn, Texas Republican, will try to defend his seat against seven opponents in the party primary on March 4.

He is taking heat from conservatives for supporting a procedural motion last week that cleared the way for an up-down vote to extend the nation’s borrowing authority, even though he voted against the actual measure.

But Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi Republican, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that voters will still come out in droves for Mr. Cornyn “for a variety of reasons,” even if tea party types are upset with him.

Mr. Cornyn’s most vocal challenger is Rep. Steve Stockman, an outspoken conservative who has accused Mr. Cornyn of being a liar for how he portrayed his debt limit votes.

“If you’re chilly tonight, huddle near John Cornyn’s pants for warmth,” he tweeted last week.

But the Dallas Morning News endorsed Mr. Cornyn earlier this week, saying the “other candidates are less informed, little known and generally offer extreme, vague or impractical ideas. Several are particularly intemperate.”