People pay their respects to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, in photos

Memorial services for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. began in Chicago, before events in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born, to honor his long civil rights legacy. Jackson died on Feb. 17 at 84.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

People attend a public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Children from Angels of Joy Academy are greeted during public visitation for Reverend Jesse Jackson at at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A man wipes his eyes before the public visitation for Reverend Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Crystal Beaty waits in line to attend a public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

James Hickman holds a photo montage of the late Reverend Jesse Jackson before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson Jr. exit after the public visitation for Reverend Jesse Jackson at at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Nevens Woods wears a black ribbon for respect while waiting to enter the public visitation for Reverend Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Patricia Montgomery waits in line to attend a public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

The family of Reverend Jesse Jackson arrives as Yusep Jackson wipes his eyes before public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A person holds a calendar with a photo of Reverend Jesse Jackson during the public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A woman weeps after exiting the public visitation for the late Reverend Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Visitors wait on a line during public visitation for Reverend Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A cutout of Rev. Jesse Jackson is seen through the crowd during a public visitation for him at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

The casket for Reverend Jesse Jackson arrives for public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Phoenix Ellington dressed as an angel spreads her wings at a public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Visitors attend a public visitation for Reverend Jesse Jackson inside Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

White orchids sit on a table next to a framed photo of Rev. Jesse Jackson during a public visitation for him at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump just can’t seem to choose among friends in the Texas Senate Republican primary.

So when he travels to the state on Friday for his first post- State of the Union trip, where he plans to promote his energy and economic policies, Trump will have all three candidates in the competitive race join him — just days before his party casts ballots in the primary race.

Sen. John Cornyn is battling for his fifth term and is being challenged by state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt in a primary fight that has become viciously personal. And all three men, missing the coveted endorsement from Trump, have been trying to highlight their ties to him as they ramp up their campaigning ahead of Tuesday’s vote. Cornyn got a head start on Friday, when he flew on Air Force One for the Texas trip and posted multiple photos of his ride on social media.

Trump landed in Corpus Christi shortly before 3 p.m. local time and was greeted by Gov. Greg Abbott, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and officials at the nearby Port of Corpus Christi.

For his part, Trump will be seeking to ride the message of his State of the Union address from Tuesday, where he declared a return to economic prosperity and a more secure America — two centerpiece arguments for Republicans as they campaign to keep their congressional majorities this fall.

Trump’s hesitation to endorse in the Texas Senate primary speaks to the tricky dynamics of the race.

Cornyn is unpopular with a segment of Texas’ GOP base, in part for his early dismissiveness of Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign and for his role in authoring tougher restrictions on guns after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. But Senate GOP leadership and allied groups see Cornyn as the stronger general election candidate, in light of a series of troubles that have shadowed Paxton.

Paxtonbeat impeachment on fraud charges in 2023, and has faced allegations of marital infidelity by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have urged Trump to endorse Cornyn. They and allied campaign groups argue that the seat would cost the party hundreds of millions more to defend with Paxton as the candidate.

“It is a strong possibility we cannot hold Texas if John Cornyn is not our nominee,” Scott told Fox News on Wednesday.

Hunt, a second-term Houston-area representative, was a later entry to the race, but claims a kinship with Trump, having endorsed him early in the 2024 race. Hunt campaigned regularly for Trump and earned a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

If no candidate reaches 50% in Tuesday’s primary, the top two finishers will advance to a May 26 runoff.

Cornyn’s campaign and a half-dozen allied groups have poured more than $63 million into the race since last fall, chiefly trying to slow Paxton but recently attacking Hunt in an effort to keep him from making it to the runoff.

Earlier this month, Trump feinted toward weighing in on the race when he said he was taking “a serious look” at endorsing in the Texas primary. He has since reaffirmed his neutrality.

Still, you wouldn’t know it from watching TV in Texas. Cornyn has been airing ads since last year touting his support for Trump's agenda, even though his relationship with the president has been cool at times. Paxton and Hunt both have ads airing now featuring them standing with Trump.

“I like all three of them, actually. Those are the toughest races. They’ve all supported me. They’re all good. You’re supposed to pick one, so we’ll see what happens. But I support all three,” Trump said earlier this month.

The GOP battle comes as Democrats have a contested primary of their own in Texas between state Rep. James Talarico, a self-described policy wonk who regularly quotes the Bible, and progressive favorite U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Trump hasn’t been shy about wading into other contested Republican primaries in the state. Parts of Corpus Christi fall within Texas’ 34th congressional district, where former Rep. Mayra Flores is fighting to reclaim her seat against the Trump-endorsed Eric Flores. (The two are not related.) The winner of the primary will face off against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, long a target of the GOP, whose district was redrawn to make it easier for a Republican to win.

Eric Flores will be at the Trump event at the Port of Corpus Christi, which technically is located in a neighboring district.

Elsewhere in the state, the president has also endorsed Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is fighting calls from his own party to resign from Congress after reports of an alleged affair with a former staffer who later died after she set herself on fire. Gonzales is refusing to step down and has said that there will be “opportunities for all of the details and facts to come out” and that the stories about the situation do not represent “all the facts.”

Gonzales is facing a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and gun rights influencer, whom Gonzales defeated by fewer than 400 votes in their 2024 runoff. The White House did not return a request for comment on Thursday on whether Trump stands by his endorsement of Gonzales.

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, en route Corpus Christi, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, en route Corpus Christi, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, speaks at a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, arrive before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, right, is joined by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, during a campaign stop in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, walk out of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, to travel to the U.S. Capitol where he will deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)