Two years ago in a packed hotel ballroom in Houston during the Harris County Republican Party’s Reagan Day fundraising dinner, Sen. John Cornyn stood on the stage and made the case to the party’s faithful that they must do a better job of reaching beyond their usual base if the organization is going to be sustainable. Though his words were not met with enthusiasm from the crowd, Sen. Cornyn appeared quite comfortable in what was quickly becoming his role as the elder statesman of the Republican Party of Texas.