All articles tagged with #paxton
Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton both advance to a Republican Senate runoff in Texas, keeping the race competitive as Trump’s influence remains a talking point ahead of the campaign’s conclusion.
Trump’s endorsement remains undecided as Texas’ GOP Senate runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton approaches; both candidates are courting the former president, who has hinted he could endorse soon and is watching the Save America Act’s progress. Cornyn has shifted on the filibuster to back Trump’s top priority, a move Paxton’s allies say signals a flip. Paxton supporters have aired ads near Trump’s Florida residence tying Cornyn to Trump’s political enemies. Polls show Cornyn ahead in the primary, but Paxton remains competitive with the MAGA base. The endorsement could be pivotal in the May runoff.
Texas’ Republican Senate runoff will proceed on May 26 after neither John Cornyn nor Ken Paxton dropped out by the Tuesday deadline. Trump has teased an endorsement and said it could hinge on passage of the SAVE America Act, with Paxton urging the elimination of the 60‑vote filibuster and Cornyn signaling openness to rule changes to get the bill through. Democratic Rep. James Talarico won his party’s primary and will face the Republican nominee in November.
Trump’s demand that the Texas Senate runoff candidates drop out did not alter the race after the withdrawal deadline passed, leaving incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton on the ballot for the May 26 runoff. While Trump may still endorse a candidate, the canvass timing determined the deadline, and Republicans still face a costly runoff with both candidates set to compete for the GOP’s Senate majority.
MAGA activists are pressuring Trump to back Sen. John Cornyn over state AG Ken Paxton in Texas, intensifying a pivotal clash between the GOP establishment and Trump’s base as a May 26 runoff looms. Republican leaders argue Cornyn is more electable and could protect the Senate majority, while Paxton backers push for the president’s support against what they view as a risky general-election candidate; Trump plans to endorse and has faced a wave of pro‑Paxton and anti‑Cornyn campaigns online.
Some Texas Republicans say a potential Trump endorsement of Sen. John Cornyn in the U.S. Senate race could alienate the MAGA base, framing it as a political gamble within the Texas GOP as Ken Paxton campaigns in the primary.
Trump was leaning toward endorsing Texas Sen. John Cornyn last week, but leaks to the press cooled that plan, and Paxton’s ultimatum—saying he might quit the runoff if the GOP voting-restrictions bill moves forward by lifting the filibuster—has stalled the effort. White House officials called Paxton's tactic a “genius move” to keep him in the race and pressure Senate leaders. Now Trump is floating tying an endorsement to passage of his SAVE America Act, complicating Republicans’ push to ditch the filibuster before the Texas runoff.
President Donald Trump is delaying his endorsement in the Texas Senate GOP primary to pressure Republican senators to back the SAVE America Act, a high-priority voting-restrictions bill. Paxton’s threat to drop his campaign if the bill advances has shifted dynamics, giving Trump leverage as Cornyn remains a leading but not guaranteed ally. The White House has signaled this is a top priority, while supporters and opponents in Texas jockey for influence as the bill stalls in the Senate and faces a filibuster hurdle.
President Trump said he will endorse a candidate in Texas's GOP Senate runoff soon and asked the other candidate to drop out, a move that could tilt a tight Cornyn–Paxton race as ballots continue counting. Democrats are coalescing around James Talarico, and party strategists expect the endorsement to shape a lengthy, expensive runoff.
Texas’ first 2026 primaries proved costly and consequential: Sen. John Cornyn defied a strong bid from Ken Paxton and will face a May runoff, in a race that has already drawn nearly $100 million; Democrat Jasmine Crockett lost to James Talarico after a high-spending, anti-Trump dynamic; redistricting created challenges for incumbents like Dan Crenshaw and Al Green while Latino turnout surged in the Rio Grande Valley, signaling significant demographic shifts heading into the midterms.
Sen. John Cornyn defied expectations by staying neck-and-neck with Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas’ GOP primary, setting up a potential May runoff. National Republicans say Trump has privately signaled he’ll get involved and could endorse Cornyn if Paxton—a MAGA-favorite—appears unelectable in a general election, which could unlock substantial funding. The race highlights the clash between establishment Republicans and the MAGA wing as the party weighs Senate prospects and a Democratic challenger, James Talarico, looms in the background.
Democrat James Talarico won Texas’s Democratic primary, defeating Jasmine Crockett; the GOP contest will be decided in a May 26 runoff between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, with Trump endorsement still undecided. Crockett plans to sue over voting issues in Dallas, and Republican Wesley Hunt finished third, signaling a three-way race that will keep the nomination battles intense as midterms approach.
Texas voters head to Tuesday’s primaries with a high-stakes U.S. Senate contest: Republican incumbent John Cornyn faces a GOP challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton, while Democrats James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett vie for the nomination, as campaign stops across Texas illustrate the race’s intensity.
GOP insiders fear the Texas Senate primary could be unexpectedly competitive: Ken Paxton and John Cornyn are seen as the top two in the Republican field, likely forcing a May 26 runoff if neither breaks a majority, while Democrats James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett battle in a race with shifting polling. Paxton is viewed as a weaker November candidate than Cornyn, prompting national groups to spend to influence outcomes and even boost Crockett behind the scenes. Trump’s endorsement of Cornyn remains uncertain and could alter fundraising and momentum as the race heads to a high-stakes general election.
Texas’ US Senate race tightens as four candidates — incumbent Republican John Cornyn, Republican Ken Paxton, and Democrats James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett — press last-minute appeals across the state ahead of Tuesday’s primary.