Trump endorses Ken Paxton for Texas senator
CNN characterizes the endorsement as “upending Senate GOP plans”:
Cornyn has spent over a year courting Trump’s support, while Paxton has run to Cornyn’s right and pitched himself as a stronger ally of the president. Cornyn and Senate GOP leaders argued that he is a stronger general-election candidate as Democrats look to win statewide office in Texas for the first time since 1994.
The runoff is a week away, and early voting began Monday.
True that Cornyn would be stronger in the general? False? I am no expert on Texas politics, but it seems to me a tossup: Paxton appeals more to the base and Cornyn to the middle and is disliked by the base as a RINO. But Paxton is described as “scandal-plagued.” Then again, Lisa Murkowski supports Cornyn and says “she was ‘supremely disappointed’ and echoed leadership concerns that Paxton could have a harder time keeping the seat in GOP hands.” I suppose “leadership” means Thune? And of course, it’s Murkowski saying this, and I do not trust her to act in the GOP’s best interests..
The whole things seems like a mess:
Despite promising to intervene quickly after March 3, when Cornyn finished narrowly ahead of Paxton, Trump kept both campaigns on edge for months. He initially said he would ask his non-endorsed candidate to drop out, but his neutral stance meant the opportunity to do so came and went.
Instead, the two camps and their allies have spent nearly $25 million on advertising in the runoff, much of it used for the two candidates to bash each other in intensely personal terms. It brings the total ad cost of the Republican primary to nearly $125 million, most of which has come from the pro-Cornyn side.
Apparently Trump thinks that Talarico, the Democrat opponent, will be a weak candidate. I hope he’s correct. For what it’s worth (probably not all that much), polls indicate that both Republicans are more or less tied with Talarico at present.
“Apparently Trump thinks that Talarico, the Democrat opponent, will be a weak candidate. I hope he’s correct. For what it’s worth (probably not all that much), polls indicate that both Republicans are more or less tied with Talarico at present.”
Thune was upset but all he had to do was pass the Save America Act and Paxton would drop out. Paxton had nothing to worry about with RINO John.
Talarico quotes:
“God is non-binary”
“Modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes—in fact, there are six.”
Yeah, that plays well in Manhattan, Portland and Seattle but Fort Worth and Amarillo – not in a 1,000,000,000 years.
Prediction: Paxton by 7% over Talarico
Are Republicans really worried about winning the general election with Ken Paxton? He has won statewide office in Texas three times already in the high-profile office of attorney general, most recently winning the 2022 general election with a margin of 9.7%. It shouldn’t be a problem.
”…polls indicate that both Republicans are more or less tied with Talarico at present.”
If those polls are accurate then the republic is in much worse shape than any of us thought.
I have been increasingly annoyed by the tone of Cornyn’s adverts, accusing Paxton of everything short of cannibalism. His ads have sort of clinched my support for Paxton.
and Talarico? Six (6) sexes? I am appalled that he has even one vote.
Murkowski says? If she told me it was Noon I would expect to see a full moon in the night sky.
The only confidence I have in Murkowski is that she will vote against Trump. A ringing endorsement for Paxton.
Hubby and I voted for Paxton today. I don’t think Talarico has a chance, and I hope I’m right!
Back in Kentucky, Massie loses the primary to Gallrein. Who is next?
Cornyn is weak on guns, so much so that it was hard to believe that he was an actual Texan.
He lost me and everyone in my circle in rural Texas sourh of Houston during his last term. Time for him to retire.
The prediction markets, which have been outperforming the polls, favor Paxton heavily over Cornyn in the primary runoff and Paxton somewhat over Talarico in the general election.
I’m impressed by how many (professed) Texans commented here.
Both Cornyn and Paxton are flawed candidates (who isn’t?), but here’s another vote for Paxton.
Talarico is a 36 year old childless bachelor whose employment history since age 21 consists of two years in Teach for America, another stint with a minor NGO, and time in public office. Some years ago, I discovered an elected conciliar body wherein nine of the twelve members fit this profile. The body in question was the Minneapolis city council. Talarico places another maraschino on top by adding a divinity degree to the mix. Like most recipients of such degrees nowadays, he’s not about to devote his life to ministry (or to any sort of profession which diverges from the fads of the professional-managerial stratum in our time).
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I recently saw a poll which indicated that 42% of the young men between the ages of 18 and 30 conceived of themselves as failures. There are many opportunities to fail at things and you just have to live with it. (At least those youths don’t have a swelled head). Here we have a nearly useless creature who has held public office for eight years and is in serious danger of being sent to Congress from a red constituency. What we suffer from is an absence of seriousness, and you see that absence among people from every walk of life.
Here we have Graham Plattner. The only way his prosperity makes any sense to me is the joys of vandalism – voters taking a rock and throwing it through a plate glass window.
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NB, Plattner is quite erratic. He was in the military for a thirteen year period, failed at attempts at higher education, was declared disabled by the VA for occult reasons, and earns a living trolling for oysters (all of which are sold to a restaurant owned by his mother). He married a schoolteacher a couple of years back. They have no children as both are over forty.
Blake Masters
Herschel Walker
Mehmet Oz
Kari Lake
Trump’s endorsements in contested Senate primaries typically don’t age well by November.
Paxton is a scoundrel. Maybe Texas really is that red. Maybe Talarico really is that bad of a candidate. We’ll get to find out now.
It is bewildering to me that my progressive friends are so high on James Talarico. They know I don’t like Trump and seem to think that I might like Talarico because he has a divinity degree and talks about Jesus sometimes. Bizarre. He and I are not aligned on policy at all. Not even a little bit. He also comes off as an empty suit. I respond by telling them that, by their standard, they must support Trump’s tariffs because Scott Bessent is gay. That usually shuts them up.
I have no special insight on whether Talarico is going to play in Texas. I hope not. But 2018 worries me. Beto O’Rourke was as much as an empty suit as Talarico, and he came way to close for comfort in a blue year, much like this year is shaping up to be. And, while Ted Cruz can be a little off-putting sometimes, he’s definitely a conservative and he didn’t have a whiff of scandal about him. Paxton really isn’t likable and has been engulfed in scandal for years.
Random observation #1 – Cornyn appears to be much older than 74.
Random observation #2 – I like Ted Cruz’s appellate lawyer persona much more than his faux Baptist preacher persona.
Not-so-random observation #1 – Why is it that “saving the republic” and “making America great again” so often requires voting for total scumbags? We’re either being played by sophistic scoundrels or we’re making this whole saving America thing so much harder than it needs to be.
Not-so-random observation #2: There has been an insane amount of money spent in GOP primaries this cycle. This is not shaping up to be a great GOP year. Is the benefit of knocking off Cornyn, Cassidy, Massie, or four Indiana state senators really worth not having those dollars to spend against Democrats for November?
Lifelong Texan here. Yes, Paxton is flawed but not nearly as flawed as the media and Cornyn’s negative ads have painted him. Husband and I voted for him yesterday. Cornyn was once decently mindful of his constituents’ desires, but he long ago went native and sold his soul to the GOP/uniparty establishment.
I think Talarico is doing as well as he is because he’s been pretty quiet since he secured the nomination. Normies can think he seems pretty decent, if just a bit anemic. When the Republican runoff is over, the focus turn back to him people are going to see how deeply, deeply weird he is. He gives off very unhealthy vibes.
When you look at Paxton’s supposed misdeeds, they give off the same UniParty lawfare stench as the charges against President Trump.
It is TEXAS. Remember Bill.Clements.
@ T Migratorious > “Lifelong Texan here. Yes, Paxton is flawed but not nearly as flawed as the media and Cornyn’s negative ads have painted him”
Ditto: I’m from Texas, I just live in Colorado.
Ditto: I followed a lot of the doomscrolling about Paxton and agree with you and SDN.