WASHINGTON–President Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton on Tuesday in his primary challenge to veteran Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn, boosting the Texas attorney general's chances of securing his party's nomination for a critical Texas race in November's midterm elections.
Paxton faces Cornyn, an old guard Republican, in a May 26 runoff after neither secured a majority in their three-way March primary election. Both candidates had tried to position themselves as close to Trump as possible.
Trump in March said he would ask the candidate he did not endorse to drop out of the race, which has been one of the nation's costliest U.S. Senate primary contests.
The victor of the runoff will face off against Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian who has explicitly appealed to independents and moderates in a state that has long been dominated by Republicans.
Democrats have long harbored hopes of turning Texas blue, but the party has not won a statewide race since 1994.
The party has an extremely narrow path to winning a Senate majority in November, which would require them to successfully defend all their current seats–even in competitive states where incumbents are retiring–and flipping Republican seats in four more states. A win in Texas would increase their options.
Paxton has a loyal following among conservative activists, thanks to his actions against Texas immigration groups and what he calls illegal voting. He has won three statewide elections, most recently in 2022.
Cornyn had argued that nominating Paxton could jeopardize Republicans' 53-47 U.S. Senate majority, though Paxton accused him of fear-mongering and said he is confident his track record as state attorney general will help him prevail in November should he win the primary.