JUST IN: SAVE Act Clears Major Hurdle As Two Additional Senators Sign On

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly referred to as the SAVE Act, has cleared a significant hurdle in the Senate after two Republican senators who had not yet endorsed a provision to bypass the “zombie” filibuster reversed course.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), who is currently locked in a. tight Senate primary with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, had not yet endorsed the idea of using the “talking filibuster” to advance the key election integrity bill. Under this procedure, the minority party, in this case Democrats, would be forced to physically stall the bill using the two-speech limit and physical capabilities.

This older procedure deviates from current Senate rules, where the minority part can simply block legislation they oppose using the “zombie” filibuster, which requires no physical debate. In effect, legislation can be blocked unless those in favor can obtain cloture with 60 votes.

If the talking filibuster were advanced, Republicans could pass the SAVE Act with a simple majority of 51 votes, which could include a vote for Vice President Vance.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has urged President Trump to endorse Cornyn in the upcoming runoff election between the incumbent and Paxton, arguing that this is the most simple path to maintaining the majority. Paxton has indicated that he will remain in the race, but has vowed to drop out if Cornyn agreed to advancing the talking filibuster measure in order to pass the SAVE Act.

On Saturday, Cornyn indicated that he will indeed back the measure to bypass the “zombie” filibuster. Contrary to fake news in the twitterverse: I have supported the Save America Act from day one. I will happily support the ‘talking filibuster’ if that’s what it takes to pass this into law,” Cornyn affirmed in a social media post while tagging President Donald Trump.

Contrary to fake news in the twitterverse: I have supported the Save America Act from day one. I will happily support the “talking filibuster” if that’s what it takes to pass this into law. @realDonaldTrump

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 7, 2026

Paxton welcomed the development in a social media post of his own, though he expressed doubt over his opponent’s sincerity. “I made Cornyn more conservative in the last 3 days than he’s been in the last 24 years,” the attorney general posted on X.

“Yet, flip-flop Cornyn’s still too cowardly to support abolishing the filibuster to get it done and to call out his best friend McConnell for opposing the bill. The president deserves better,” he added.

In addition to support from Cornyn, Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) indicated that she will also support a maneuver to quash the “zombie” filibuster after reports to the contrary. “This is blatantly false. I have been working with [Senator Mike Lee] to find the votes and path forward to pass the SAVE America Act, which includes the talking filibuster,” Britt wrote in an X post of her own.

The two senators affirming their support represents a significant development in the battle to pass the key piece of legislation, though its final passage still faces several hurdles. Outgoing Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) has previously threatened to resign if the talking filibuster were deployed, while Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has expressed support for the bill but stopped short of supporting a talking filibuster maneuver.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has also refused to sign off on the move, while Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has come out in opposition to the SAVE Act entirely. This would still leave Republicans short of the required 50-vote threshold.

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