WASHINGTON — President Trump and Democrats rarely find themselves aligned. However both sides will be hoping for the same result in Tuesday’s game Texas Senate primary runoffs.
Ken Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican runoff, representing Trump’s latest victory in maintaining control of his “MAGA” base after also ousting rivals in Indiana, Louisiana and Kentucky. But to the delight of Democrats, the president’s 11th-hour decision to endorse Paxton could give James Talarico a Senate seat after decades of Democratic defeats in the Lone Star State.
According to AdImpact, the Paxton-Coryn primary showdown was the most expensive Senate Republican primary on record, with Cornyn’s forces alone spending nearly $100 million trying to defeat the Trump-backed state attorney general, who survived impeachment and scandal to win the runoff with nearly 64 percent of the vote.
Paxton’s wide victory showed the strength of Trump’s support and his ability to rally Republican support around his favored candidate. Cornyn narrowly beat Paxton in the original primary in March, 42 percent to 40 percent, but no one got the 50 percent needed, forcing a runoff.
“When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen. Instead, he gave his complete and utter support,” Paxton said of the president in a speech to supporters Tuesday night. “His endorsement … is the most powerful force in politics.” He called Talarico “a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country.”
The risk for Republicans is that more moderate and independent voters in the general election will be shut out by Paxton, opening up an opportunity for Talarico, a seminary student and state lawmaker who has become a fundraising force among national Democrats eager to win in Texas. Democrats haven’t won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
Cornyn and national Republican groups have hammered Paxton with a slew of ads highlighting the scandals surrounding Paxton’s career, an argument Talarico is sure to make in the general election. Minutes after Paxton announced his candidacy, Cook Political Report changed its general election prediction from “likely Republican” to “leaning Republican.”
“Trump and Republican primary voters value fighting over winning. Paxton may win, but there are too many Herschel Vox, Todd Adkins and Richard Murdocks getting ruined on the sidelines of the electoral highway,” said Republican strategist Doug Heye, referring to past Republican Senate candidates who failed to win in Republican-leaning states.
Talarico has shown an ability to generate viral buzz on the campaign trail, talking about his Christian faith and criticizing the Trump era. Talarico raised $27 million in the first three months of the year and his candidacy came under scrutiny in February when CBS canceled a planned interview with Stephen Colbert with the Texas congressman.
In a video posted on He called the Senate race “the people versus Ken Paxton.”
Republicans view Talarico as another lightweight challenger, comparing him to former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, the El Paso congressman who appealed to Texas Democrats but lost the 2018 Senate election to Sen. Ted Cruz.
Paxton is now the Republican standard-bearer as some Senate Republicans rebel against Trump over the president’s decision to abandon Cornyn, a beloved former member of Senate Republican leadership whose political career spanned more than three decades.
Senate Republicans Postponed Opposes Trump’s push for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and warns it could hinder approval of a $70 billion, multi-year immigration enforcement plan. Some lawmakers were also annoyed by Trump’s decision to endorse Paxton just days before the primary, which complicated passage of the president’s agenda and led to tensions in a private meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Branch last week.
“A lot of Republican senators were angry,” Cruz told the podcast about the meeting. Cruz remained neutral in the primary and endorsed Paxton after Tuesday’s results.
Republicans will face questions in the coming days about how far they will unite around Paxton’s candidacy. Paxton became a darling of Make America Great Again for using the attorney general’s office to pursue right-wing causes and question Cornyn’s commitment to the president’s agenda.
In his endorsement, Trump called Paxton a “true fighter for making America great again” and called Cornyn a “good guy,” but said he “didn’t support me in the hard times.” He also said Cornyn “belatedly supported” his 2024 presidential bid.
Trump came close to endorsing Cornyn in March, but the president held off after Paxton pressured Cornyn to pass a voting bill called the Save America Act in the Senate, a priority for Trump.
But the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Senate Republican campaign arm, has attacked Paxton with negative ads, drawing attention to his impeachment, legal challenges and pending divorce. Controversies include accusations of abuse of power by his senior staff (which he denies); a securities fraud indictment (which he settled with a pretrial agreement); his impeachment by the Texas Republican House of Representatives (he was later acquitted); accusations of adultery by his wife, and ongoing divorce filings.
The NRSC did not mention Paxton by name in a statement Tuesday night, but said: “The state Trump won by nearly 14 points will not elect James Talarico for president.”
Paxton’s decisive win gives Trump another boost after he ousted Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and a group of Indiana senators who opposed a Trump-backed redistricting plan. Bill Cassidy voted to convict Trump in 2021 impeachment trial. Trump’s support for challengers played a significant role in these primaries.
Cornyn acknowledged his loss to Paxton and said he would support the Republican. “My hope is to keep my party in power for generations,” Cornyn said. “I’m an optimist at heart, which is just another way of saying I’m a Texan.”
Write to Ken Thomas: ken.thomas@wsj.com
