Cornyn fights to hold Texas Senate seat in runoff with Trump-backed Paxton – US politics live | Texas
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State attorney general Ken Paxton faces four-term incumbent John Cornyn in the ugliest primary of the year on Tuesday. The winner of the Republican Senate runoff in Texas will run against Democrat James Talarico in the general election in November.
For months, Paxton and Cornyn had been pursuing the most valuable endorsement in Republican politics: Donald Trump. Scandal-plagued Paxton got this last week when the US president described him as a “true Maga warrior”.
Supporters McKinney, Texasto accept. “Paxton is more conservative,” said Jim Tubbesing, 77, as he strolled through Paxton’s hometown; a serene vision of Americana with quaint antique shops, trendy bistros, and a walkable historic downtown that exudes 19th-century charm.
“He was good for Texas. I vote for politics, not for him to be alleged to have done something.” “Rino: Republican in name only,” Tubbesing calls Cornyn.
The runoff is essentially not about politics, as Cornyn and Paxton will vote in the same direction on nearly every piece of legislation. It’s more about tone and style, and it has major implications for Texas, control of the U.S. Senate, and the future direction of the Republican party.
Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general and state supreme court justice, is widely seen as the last gasp of the Republican establishment. He narrowly defeated the far-right Paxton in the March 3 primary. accused and blamed. However, these aggressive attitudes regarding immigration and culture war issues please the party base. However, both names qualified for the second round.
Cornyn seeks to retain Texas Senate seat in runoff with Trump-backed Paxton
Hello, welcome to the live blog of US politics.
Texans are voting for a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s runoff elections, following Donald Trump’s late bid to influence the race in his latest effort to rid the GOP of less loyal leaders.
The president’s endorsement of state attorney general Ken Paxton over four-term senator John Cornyn gave his opponent a late boost and put Cornyn at risk of becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to win and lose the party’s endorsement.
This comes despite Cornyn’s campaign and allied groups spending nearly $90 million on advertising since last year, the vast majority of it attacking Paxton, the AP reported.
This is the latest GOP contest in which Trump has sought to punish a Republican he deems not loyal enough. This month, he successfully backed challengers to incumbents in Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana; It’s a sign of his enduring clout among primary voters.
Paxton’s campaign and a pro-Paxton super PAC began running ads promoting the endorsement within 24 hours of Trump’s announcement. Cornyn acknowledged that Trump’s move would be effective, but said he was not giving up.
“I know who will elect our senators, and that’s the people of Texas,” he said hours after the confirmation. The winner will run against Democratic nominee James Talarico in November.
Tuesday’s runoff elections will also determine Democrats’ U.S. House candidates for districts that overwhelmingly support Democrats in Dallas and Houston, as well as the San Antonio-area seat the party hopes to flip.
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