President Trump on Wednesday congratulated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for his win over Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Senate GOP primary runoff. Despite the loss, Trump added that Cornyn “will remain my friend for a long time to come.” Paxton brought in 63.8 percent of the vote over the incumbent’s 36.2 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ. Trump also praised Cornyn for “having run a strong and powerful race but, most importantly, having had a truly great career.” “John will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common sense Senator, one who is respected by all. His opponent, Alfred E. Neuman, may be the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen,” he posted to Truth Social, referring to Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.
The president also took a swipe at Talarico’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Texas), calling the lawmaker, “a very low IQ individual, who is no relation to the legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett, would have been a far better choice for the Dumocrats. I will do some nice, big, beautiful rallies for Ken.” Trump endorsed Paxton last week following months of speculation about whether and how he would weigh in on the race. While Cornyn has touted being a longtime supporter of the president’s policies, past remarks about his administration’s policy agenda have shown a rift growing between the two. In his late-hour endorsement of Paxton, Trump said the sitting senator “was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
Cornyn conceded Tuesday night, telling supporters: “I’ve said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they’ve made their decision, and I must respect it.” He said he would back the GOP ticket against Talarico. After the state attorney general’s victory, however, the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report shifted the race toward Democrats. Cook Political Report‘s Jessica Taylor noted the race would have been more competitive had Cornyn won, but Talarico’s fundraising efforts and varying controversies surrounding Paxton have given Democrats a better shot at winning. “Paxton has a litany of ethical lapses for Democrats to exploit — from allegations of bribery and misuse of his office to marital infidelity, which led his wife to divorce him on ‘biblical grounds,'” she wrote. Cornyn’s defeat comes shortly after Trump-endorsed candidates won over Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), two other incumbents whose criticism of the president led to their downfall.
