Trump\u2019s \u201celeventh-hour decision\u201d to endorse Paxton, a \u201clongtime MAGA ally,\u201d gives the embattled attorney general a \u201clate boost over establishment Republicans<\/a>\u2019 preferred candidate,\u201d said Politico<\/a>. Cornyn\u2019s camp, however, fears that nominating the \u201cscandal-plagued Paxton<\/a>\u201d could \u201cput control of the Senate at risk and cost the party hundreds of millions of dollars<\/a> to defend the seat this fall.\u201d Paxton \u201cwould be an albatross around the neck of our candidates,\u201d said Cornyn at a campaign event just hours after Trump\u2019s endorsement, per KTSM 9 News<\/a>. If nominated, Paxton \u201cwould likely lose\u201d to Democrat James Talarico in November.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Republican senators \u201cappeared stunned and livid\u201d as news of Trump\u2019s endorsement reverberated across Washington, said The New York Times.<\/a> Many in the caucus \u201chad been urging\u201d the White House to back Cornyn, \u201cwhom they saw as a stronger candidate in a general election.\u201d Trump\u2019s \u201cdecision to do otherwise amounted to a slap at\u201d Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who is \u201can institutionalist like\u201d Cornyn.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n The Week<\/p>\n Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSUBSCRIBE & SAVE\n<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Latest Videos From \u201cI\u2019m sad personally for John Cornyn, and I hope he\u2019s successful in his election regardless,\u201d said one Republican senator to The Hill<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m sad for the institution.\u201d It is \u201cas much about President Trump sending a message to John Thune as the leader of the Senate as it is about an endorsement of Ken Paxton,\u201d said longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon to The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Made after \u201cmonths of waffling,\u201d Trump\u2019s decision to endorse Paxton reflected the president\u2019s \u201crenewed conviction\u201d that he \u201cmaintains an iron grip on the party following recent electoral victories,<\/a>\u201d said the Journal. Trump likely saw \u201crecent internal polling,\u201d was \u201cconvinced Paxton was pulling ahead with GOP primary voters\u201d and \u201cwanted to be on the winning side,\u201d said Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, to the Houston Chronicle<\/a>. Trump picking Paxton \u201cisn\u2019t a shock given their history,\u201d said the outlet. Not only has Paxton \u201cgolfed with Trump,\u201d but he attended Trump\u2019s 2021 \u201cStop The Steal\u201d rally that preceded the January 6 insurrection and had \u201cfiled a petition with the Supreme Court to challenge the 2020 presidential election results in swing states for Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlready the most expensive primary in history,\u201d the Paxton-Cornyn race is also the \u201cmost expensive runoff ever,\u201d said MS NOW<\/a>. Some Republicans worry that it will \u201ccost the GOP even more to keep the Senate seat red,\u201d as the broader race, thanks to Trump\u2019s intervention, has now grown \u201cmore competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas has \u201clong been a great white whale\u201d for Democrats<\/a>, said The Hill<\/a>. With a \u201cuniquely strong nominee in James Talarico,\u201d the party hopes that Trump\u2019s \u201cboost of Paxton could leave them with a vulnerable opponent\u201d in November.<\/p>\n What next?<\/p>\n \u201cProlonged Republican infighting,\u201d coupled with \u201cgrowing anti-Trump sentiment,\u201d has created a Texas race \u201cmore competitive than anyone would have predicted a year ago,\u201d said The New Yorker<\/a>. Democrats, \u201cwary after years of predictions\u201d that statewide wins are \u201cjust around the corner,\u201d are now \u201callowing themselves to hope again, cautiously.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ll learn \u201csoon enough how GOP voters in Texas respond\u201d to Trump\u2019s backing of Paxton, said MS NOW<\/a>. It\u2019s \u201cworth appreciating\u201d that many Texas conservatives<\/a> \u201cbelieve Paxton can win.\u201d But if he clinches the nomination over Cornyn next week, the GOP will \u201chave to spend heavily\u201d on Paxton\u2019s behalf with \u201cmoney they won\u2019t have to spend elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Should Cornyn lose to Paxton, Trump will \u201cface the prospect\u201d of his joining a group of \u201clame duck senators more willing to buck his demands,\u201d said the Times. Still, some Republicans are sticking with Trump\u2019s choice, at least publicly. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the pathway for Paxton is there,\u201d said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to the outlet. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve got to do is raise a lot more money now.\u201d<\/p>\n Explore More<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/qsgislpohy1687441729.svg\")
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