Trump Makes Surprise Endorsement of Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Race, Likely Forcing GOP To Spend Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

In a surprise announcement, President Trump says he is backing Texas attorney general Ken Paxton to be the state’s next U.S. Senator, potentially ending the career of Senator John Cornyn. Mr. Cornyn is not dropping out of the race, saying Mr. Paxton puts Republicans across Texas at risk. Mr. Trump had stayed neutral for more than a year, telling reporters often that he liked both Messrs. Cornyn and Paxton, as well as Congressman Wesley Hunt, who was eliminated in the first round of the GOP primary. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Cornyn a “good” man, but that the senator had not been by his side at critical moments. “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough and, despite having the Most Successful Economy in the History of our Country during my First Term … John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN,” he continued. Republicans had worried for months that Mr. Trump could side with Mr. Paxton, who has been plagued with scandals for years. He has been indicted for securities fraud, accused of having an affair, and is now being divorced by his wife on “biblical grounds.” He was impeached by the state house of representatives in 2023 for allegedly taking a bribe, misusing public funds, and retaliating against whistleblowers. The state senate later acquitted him. In a statement Tuesday, Mr. Cornyn says he does not plan to bow out of the race before election day, which is next Tuesday, May 26. He says Mr. Paxton could lose the race to the Democratic nominee, state representative James Talarico, and put Republican congressional and state legislative seats at risk come November. “It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardizes everything we care about,” Mr. Cornyn said in a statement posted to X. “I trust the Republican voters of Texas.”Mr. Talarico said in a statement that “it doesn’t matter who wins this [Republican] runoff.”“We already know who we’re running against: the billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system,” he said Tuesday. In order to get Mr. Paxton across the finish line in November, Republicans will likely have to spend anywhere between $200 million and $300 million. That figure could increase, given Mr. Talarico has proven himself to be an expert fundraiser, having raised $27 million in the first four-and-a-half months of this year. Mr. Paxton has raised a mere $7 million. Donors may also be wary of writing checks for Mr. Paxton, given Republican Senate leadership burned tens of millions of dollars on the Texas primary hoping to save Mr. Cornyn. In total, more than $120 million has been spent on the primary alone.

Trump Makes Surprise Endorsement of Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Race, Likely Forcing GOP To Spend Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

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