In a closely watched Republican Senate primary in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton has unseated the incumbent, Senator John Cornyn.
On Tuesday night, 63-year-old Paxton emerged victorious over the 74-year-old Cornyn in the runoff race. His campaign received a significant boost last week when he secured a pivotal endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
Cornyn, who had been vying for Trump’s endorsement for months, has served as a Texas Senator since 2002. His defeat marks the end of a 23-year tenure, underlining Trump’s enduring influence over the Republican Party and his penchant for punishing perceived disloyalty.
The veteran Senator had previously criticized Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, openly rebuked his conduct prior to the January 6 Capitol riot, and opposed Trump’s efforts to obstruct the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
With his primary victory, Paxton is set to face off against Democratic contender James Talarico, who is 37, in what promises to be a fiercely contested general election.
Paxton, who has held the position of Texas Attorney General since 2015, is a staunch Trump supporter. He has championed several of Trump’s boldest initiatives, including a 2020 Supreme Court case aimed at overturning Joe Biden’s election win.
He has also been publicly shamed by his estranged wife for infidelity, even as he’s shacked up with his mistress in a tony Dallas suburb. Paxton has spent a decade dogged by ethical and legal troubles, including a securities fraud indictment, impeachment, and allegations of bribery – surviving it all.
‘He’s gotten away with so much for so long,’ Cornyn told CNN this week. ‘He is an embarrassment.’
Trump’s preferred candidate, Ken Paxton, defeated Senator John Cornyn in Tuesday’s primary runoff
Paxton defeated incumbent Senator Cornyn in Tuesday’s primary election after the President endorsed the Texas Attorney General last week
Trump and Paxton in Texas in 2020
None of that scared away Trump, who places personal loyalty above all else.
‘TEXAS, REMEMBER! Ken Paxton was a GREAT Attorney General, probably the best in the Country. He was also very loyal to your favorite President, ME,’ Trump posted on social media this week.
In a sign of the lingering bitterness from the primary, the NRSC – the official Senate campaign arm in Washington – avoided mentioning Paxton in its statement on the race Tuesday night, choosing instead to solely attack Talarico as a ‘radical leftist.’
Senate Republican leadership worked for months to get the President to endorse Cornyn. The leaders reportedly wanted to avoid a messy and expensive primary between two Republicans – though that is exactly what happened.
Roughly $130 million has been spent on ads in the Republican-on-Republican Texas primary, according to AdImpact, with Cornyn easily outspending his challenger.
Cornyn’s late-stage effort to appease the President also proved unsuccessful.
The Senator offered a bill to rename a highway after Trump and even flipped his long-held position on the filibuster after increasing pressure from the White House.
Trump did not formally endorse Paxton until a week ago. His former campaign manager Chris Lacivita worked for Cornyn while the head of the President’s political operation, James Blair, backed Paxton, creating a rare divide among Trump’s tight-knit team.
Cornyn’s defeat is another scalp for the President’s team that has upended several of Trump’s GOP targets.
Congressman Thomas Massie and Senator Bill Cassidy – both Republicans who drew Trump’s ire – were defeated in their recent primary elections after the President endorsed their opponents.
Trump also saw that state level lawmakers in Indiana were defeated after they defied the President and did not back his redistricting plan.
The President and his allies were quick to celebrate the victory of their preferred candidate.
