Texas' Senate race just got a bit more unpredictable. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report nudged its rating for the contest from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican" on Tuesday after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ousted Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff. Jessica Taylor, Cook's Senate and governors editor, wrote that Paxton "has a litany of ethical lapses for Democrats to exploit—from allegations of bribery and misuse of his office to marital infidelity, which led his wife to divorce him on 'biblical grounds.'" The race might have tightened even with Cornyn, Taylor wrote, "but Paxton's flaws warrant an immediate move to the Lean column."
President Trump endorsed Paxton late in the race, despite warnings from Republicans that Cornyn, a four-term incumbent, would be a stronger candidate against James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, the Hill reports. Talarico currently has a cash advantage, but Cook notes he carries his own baggage: "cultural liberalism" and the challenge of running statewide as a Democrat in a long-red Texas, where the party hasn't won a Senate seat since 1988.
After Paxton's win, Talarico said he would try to bring Cornyn supporters to his side. "Paxton has a criminal record. I have a legislative record," he told Politico. "I've called out the extremes in both parties, on the right and left, and as you know, called out President Biden for failing to secure our southern border," Talarico added. "I've pushed back against national Democrats who want to hurt the Texas oil and gas industry." The Wall Street Journal reports that the Senate GOP's campaign arm, which poured money into anti-Paxton ads, didn't mention Paxton by name in a statement after his win, but said: "A state President Trump won by nearly 14 points isn't going to elect James Talarico."
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