Sharia law victim who fled Somalia issues endorsement in critical Senate race

EXCLUSIVE: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a high-profile women’s rights activist who fled Sharia law, has endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for re-election in a critical Senate race that could determine whether the GOP retains its majority.

In a video announcing her endorsement, Ali, a speaker and author who fled Somalia after suffering female genital mutilation, said that “only John Cornyn has a proven record of stopping radical Islamic extremism.”

“I’ve seen firsthand what radical Islam does to women, to families, and to nations who ignore the warning signs. America is not immune, and neither is Texas,” she went on, adding, “That’s why experience matters.”

This comes amid an already contentious Senate primary race in Texas between Cornyn, who has held the seat since 2002, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. President Donald Trump has not weighed in on the race, though he recently hinted he may do so, saying, “My problem is I’m friendly with all of them.”

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Texas leaders have recently sounded the alarm about the growth of Sharia law in the Lone Star State. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently issued a proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist organizations” and “transnational criminal organizations” under Texas law.

Ali emphasized the importance of Cornyn’s experience in pushing back against Sharia law, taking subtle jabs at Paxton and Hunt, who would be first-term senators.  

She said that Cornyn “has taken the threat seriously when others choose denial or political games.”

“If you want a Texas that protects its people and defends its values, you need a leader who understands the danger and knows how to stop it,” she said.

“To keep Texas strong and safe from radical Islam, vote John Cornyn.”

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In response, Cornyn told Fox News Digital, “I am honored to be endorsed by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has spoken fearlessly about the dangers of radical Islam from her own experience.”

Cornyn’s office pointed to several actions he has taken as senator to push back on Sharia Law in the U.S., including recently Introducing the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, which the office said aims to clarify that discriminating based on Sharia Law is a violation of the Civil Rights Act, co-sponsoring the No Sharia Act, which it said prohibits U.S. courts from enforcing foreign laws or judgments that violate the Constitution and calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate “EPIC Ranches City” in Texas, a master-planned development that allegedly marketed itself as a Muslims-only community.

In 2025, Cornyn also introduced legislation to strip the tax-exempt status from organizations that provide material support to designated terrorist groups, specifically targeting CAIR. He also co-sponsored the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which directs the Secretary of State to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“For many years now, I have worked to confront this radical ideology, from working to ban Sharia Law, to identifying, arresting and prosecuting terrorist organizations, and calling on the DOJ to investigate the EPIC City development,” Cornyn said. “I will continue to protect Texans from the threat of radical Islamic ideology anywhere in our country.”

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Ali’s endorsement comes just over two weeks until the GOP’s primary election day in Texas.

Cornyn, a high-ranking Senate Republican, has also been endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as the National Border Patrol Council.

Meanwhile, Paxton, who has served as the top attorney for Texas since 2015, was recently endorsed by Turning Point Action, the political arm of the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. Hunt, a U.S. Army veteran, has been endorsed by Veterans for America First.

Both Paxton and Hunt have also spoken out against Sharia Law in Texas. Paxton sued CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking to shut them down and bar their operations in Texas. He also sued the developers behind EPIC as well, arguing they violated Texas securities law by selling investment interests without proper registration and by failing to verify accredited investor status as required. 

Hunt has said Sharia law is “completely incompatible with the founding principles of the United States of America” and argued it should have no place in U.S. legal or civic systems.

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All three Republican candidates have touted their support for Trump and their records of supporting his agenda in their respective offices.

Trump recently told reporters that he may weigh in on the primary race soon, saying, “I’m giving it a very serious look.”

“You know, my problem is I’m friendly with all of them. I like all of them, all three,” Trump said.

“But you’ll be seeing soon,” he went on. “They say whoever I endorse wins. That’s probably right.”

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Whichever Republican emerges victorious from the primary election will face off against either leading Democratic voice Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, or progressive rising star state Rep. James Talarico.

According to Paxton’s office, Ali will appear at a campaign roundtable with religious leaders in North Texas later this week.