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Happy Tuesday morning.

One man has his eye on becoming the next Senate Republican leader, and the other has pined for the White House for roughly a decade.

And now, Texas GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz – whose political bases are separated by a mere 160 miles – find themselves on opposite sides of the highest-stakes gun-control debate on Capitol Hill in years.

Their motivations can be explained quite neatly. The 70-year-old Cornyn, a senator for two decades, is a deal-making Capitol insider who sees a ripe opportunity to address gun violence, one of the most tragic yet difficult issues in American life. For Cornyn, it’s a test of his leadership skills and negotiating savvy. Those close to Cornyn say it’s a peek at how he might comport himself should he become the Senate GOP leader – take tough positions that, in his view, help move Republicans forward.

Meanwhile Cruz, 51, has taken pains to remain one of the Senate’s Republican purists. Pressed about his view on the unfolding bipartisan negotiations late Monday, Cruz upbraided reporters about why they were not pressing Democrats about blocking a proposal he introduced nine years ago to “improve” – but not expand – the background checks system on gun sales.

Rarely do two members of the same party from the same state take such diametrically opposite roles in a debate with such consequence back home. Texas is still grappling with the fallout from the May 24 murder of 19 elementary school students and two adults by a teenage gunman in Uvalde, a small town about 80 miles west of San Antonio. One of the survivors of the Uvalde shooting is scheduled to testify today before a House panel.

With so much at stake, Cruz and Cornyn have very different salves to heal the wounds from the latest mass shooting in the Lone Star State. Cornyn is playing the legislative leader, while Cruz sounds ready to oppose any compromise that emerges from the bipartisan discussion on the issue.

“You’re kidding,” Cornyn said with a laugh during a brief interview when we observed that he and Cruz were taking different positions on gun control.

“We’re the yin and the yang,” Cornyn added. “But I think together, we are able to represent our state well.”

Cruz didn’t reveal much about what he thought of his colleague when asked how two GOP senators from the same state could come to such different positions.

“You can ask him his thoughts. I haven’t seen any proposals come out yet,” Cruz said.

But listen to Cruz for a few moments, and you’ll know precisely what he thinks:

Of course, Cruz can’t lay this all at Democrats’ feet. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are all negotiating alongside Cornyn, and all have a similar agenda – to make it more difficult for Americans considered a threat to themselves or others to have guns.

Cornyn met with Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the leading Democrat in the talks, and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) for several hours Monday evening.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has blessed the effort as well, and told us twice yesterday he wants to see a compromise come together by the end of the week.

At the moment, the bipartisan group seems to be making positive progress on a narrow package that could get through the 50-50 Senate. They’re coalescing around a proposal to incentivize states to create red-flag laws. Republicans are also increasingly comfortable with expanding background checks to include a gun purchaser’s juvenile record. Cruz said he would examine all of these proposals.

Republicans on the negotiating team say they won’t support raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 or other more sweeping proposals pushed by gun-control advocates.

Cornyn and Cruz, of course, have similar voting records. Each boasts an A+ rating from the NRA and frequently line up on politics and policy.

“He’s a good person to have doing this,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said of Cornyn. “This is one of those things where people are better off to begin to try to put a package together and not just think about what 52 people might be for … You have to have a package that 60 people can be for.”

Cornyn has pushed to expand gun rights in the past, which earned the Texas Republican strong criticism from gun-control advocates. He offered legislation last year to expand the ability of concealed carry permit holders to take their weapons into other states. He, Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also proposed a bill to eliminate federal regulations on silencers. Neither bill passed.

Yet it’s just that record that gives Cornyn credibility with other Republicans on this issue. Cornyn has made clear that he won’t agree to any proposal that seriously infringes on gun rights. He will need McConnell’s backing as well. The key test will become whether a majority of Republicans support it, which Cornyn wants to see happen. Here’s more from Cornyn:

One complicating dynamic for Cornyn is that his leadership rivals — John Thune of South Dakota and John Barrasso of Wyoming — may not support the proposals the Texan is discussing. Barrasso has signaled he will be against any gun bill, while Thune is up for re-election. Thune’s primary is today.

Murphy is also a realist about the political dynamics Republicans face. He repeatedly told reporters on Monday his interest is reaching a deal that can get around any GOP filibuster.

Today: Join us in-person or virtually this morning at 9 a.m. ET for our conversation with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) about 5G’s climate impact. RSVP!

– Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan, Heather Caygle and Christian Hall

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