Republican strategist Karl Rove expressed his doubts about Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s chances in his November race.
“So, time is running out. If the president wants to have Paxton win, he needs to be tossing a lot of money Paxton’s way so that ads can be run that depict Talarico as the far-left winger that he is,” Rove said Wednesday on Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” referring to Paxton’s Democratic opponent James Talarico.
“If not, Talarico is going to run the message of, ‘My opponent is the most corrupt politician in Texas history,’ all the way to the victory lane,” he added.
In a recent poll, Talarico was leading Paxton in the Texas Senate race, with 47 percent of respondents saying they would back the Democrat if the election occurred that day, while 40 percent went for the Republican.
Democrats have looked to notch electoral wins in Texas in recent years but haven’t had much success, as seen in 2018 when former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) challenged Sen. Ted Cruz (R).
While Democrats usually have an uphill battle in the Lone Star State, Paxton comes with notable baggage. The Texas attorney general has been dogged by scandal, previously facing impeachment in the Texas state House on corruption charges before being acquitted in the Texas Senate.
Talarico is also facing a favorable electoral environment, as the unpopular war in Iran reached six months, President Trump’s approval rating has slumped and Americans have expressed concerns about the economy in recent polling.
According to a polling average from Decision Desk HQ, Trump’s approval rating was sitting at 39.4 percent Thursday evening, while his disapproval rating was 57 percent.
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