Tillis calls Trump’s Paxton endorsement a 'colossal mistake' risking Texas Senate seat

Key points

• Thom Tillis, a retiring North Carolina Republican, labeled Trump’s support of Ken Paxton an 'unforced error' and 'colossal mistake' during a CNN interview.
• Tillis stated that if John Cornyn had won the primary, the Republican Party would not have needed to spend 'tens or hundreds of millions of dollars' to defend the Texas Senate seat.
• Trump endorsed Paxton days before the May primary, criticizing Cornyn for being 'VERY disloyal' after Cornyn suggested Republicans move on from Trump during the 2024 campaign.
• Paxton faces Democratic candidate James Talarico in the November 3 general election; a Talarico victory would mark the first Democrat winning statewide office in Texas in over 30 years.
• Paxton’s campaign is complicated by past scandals, including a 2023 impeachment for corruption (later acquitted), a dismissed securities fraud charge, and a 2025 divorce filing by his wife citing adultery.

Background

Recent archive coverage highlights the intense resource competition in the Texas race. Trump has pledged aggressive support for Paxton, including fundraising stops in Houston and Dallas, while MAGA Inc. holds over $403 million but has not yet spent on the candidate. Polls show Paxton trailing Talarico, with analysts noting that only Trump’s personal spending power can potentially tilt the toss-up race. Tillis’s criticism adds to a pattern of him breaking with Trump on issues like NATO and war powers, though his comments focus specifically on the electoral cost of the primary choice.

How outlets are covering it

The Guardian and UA.NEWS both report Tillis’s criticism of Trump’s endorsement, agreeing that the decision risks the seat and incurs high costs. The Guardian provides additional context on Tillis’s broader pattern of criticizing Trump, including his stance on NATO and the Iran war, while UA.NEWS focuses strictly on the primary outcome and Paxton’s scandals. Both sources confirm the core facts: Tillis’s 'colossal mistake' quote, the financial implications, and the November general election matchup with Talarico. No significant disagreements exist between the outlets, but The Guardian offers a wider view of Tillis’s political stance.

Why it matters

The Texas Senate seat is a high-stakes battleground for the 2026 midterms. Trump’s endorsement of a scandal-plagued candidate over an experienced incumbent has forced the GOP into an expensive defensive campaign. If Talarico wins, it would signal a major shift in Texas politics and potentially impact national control of the Senate. Tillis’s criticism underscores internal Republican tensions over Trump’s influence on primary outcomes and the financial burden of defending vulnerable seats.

What to watch

The general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026. Campaign spending is expected to intensify, with Trump potentially deploying more resources via his super PACs to support Paxton. Tillis, as a retiring senator, will not vote in the general election but may continue to voice criticism of Trump’s strategies. The outcome will determine whether the GOP retains the Texas seat or suffers a historic loss to a Democrat in statewide office.