Texas Republicans are about to find out whether John Cornyn's long resume can beat President Trump's endorsement of his opponent. The four-term senator faces state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a GOP runoff on Tuesday that's become a test of Trump's pull and the party's appetite for risk in a pricey, key state, per the Washington Post. Public polls give Paxton, who remains under a cloud of corruption and misconduct allegations, an edge, boosted by a late Trump endorsement that one Paxton ally dubbed "the kiss of death" for Cornyn. Based on that data, the Hill notes that Cornyn would need a "Texas miracle" to prevail over Paxton.
Establishment Republicans have lined up behind Cornyn, who has argued that Paxton's baggage and weak fundraising would force them to pour "hundreds of millions" into Texas and still risk losing to Democrat James Talarico, a strong fundraiser in a state where campaigns routinely cost nine figures, per the Post. Cornyn's allies warn that a Paxton win could drain resources from tight Senate contests in Maine, Ohio, and North Carolina and drag down House candidates in Texas. Paxton backers counter that party leaders must fully support him if he prevails.
The AP notes that this race is just the latest in which "Trump has sought to punish a Republican he sees as insufficiently loyal," as Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy can attest. One thing is already clear: With more than $90 million spent just by Cornyn and his allies so far, this has become the costliest Senate primary in US history, per the Post.
Politico notes that the runoff also has some in the GOP worried that this "fight between two giants" could end up hurting the party leading into the general, as Daniel Garza, president of the conservative LIBRE Initiative, puts it. "Post-runoff, you're going to have to mend a lot of fences," Garza notes. PBS has more on Tuesday's vote in the Lone Star State.
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