Trump Makes His Texas Pick, and a Senator Loses Out

President Trump has finally picked a side in Texas' bitter Republican Senate fight—and it's not the sitting senator. Trump on Tuesday endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in next week's GOP runoff, handing Paxton a late jolt in a contest polls show is neck-and-neck, reports Politico. Trump called Paxton a "true MAGA Warrior" on Truth Social and said Cornyn "was not supportive of me when times were tough," even as he described the senator as "a good man." The move undercuts months of speculation that Trump would reward Cornyn for a stronger-than-expected showing in the first round of voting.

Establishment Republicans worry that elevating Paxton—who has faced impeachment, a securities fraud probe, ethics complaints, and a messy divorce—could put the GOP's hold on the Texas seat, and perhaps the Senate, at risk against Democrat James Talarico. Paxton is a staunch Trump loyalist who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 results. Cornyn had seemed resigned to losing Trump's endorsement, saying Monday, "I think that ship has sailed," notes the Austin American-Statesman. When the news broke on Tuesday, Democrat Talarico said in a statement that "it doesn't matter who wins this runoff," per the AP. "We already know who we're running against: the billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system."