President Donald Trump threw his political weight behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the high-stakes Texas Republican Senate runoff, bypassing the partys longtime incumbent in favor of a staunch America First ally.
According to Just The News, President Trump announced his decision on Truth Social, praising Paxtons record and signaling support for a more aggressive conservative agenda in the Senate. The endorsement underscores the ongoing realignment within the Republican Party, as grassroots voters increasingly favor candidates willing to confront the Washington establishment and advance robust election integrity and border security measures.
"I know Ken well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a WINNER! Ken is a Strong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER and, very importantly, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT," President Trump wrote, highlighting Paxtons willingness to upend Senate norms to push conservative priorities. "Perhaps Ken can help move these important elements of Government forward."
"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," President Trump added, framing the race as a referendum on the direction of the GOP. "Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN... Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next United States Senator from the Great State of Texas."
President Trump notably declined to back Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, even while calling him a "good man," citing policy rifts and Cornyns reluctance to support his presidential bid. Cornyn, first elected in 2002, led the initial primary but failed to clear the threshold needed to avoid a runoff, opening the door for a serious challenge from the right.
The elimination of Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, appears to have consolidated conservative support behind Paxton, with recent polling showing the attorney general holding a clear advantage. The runoff, scheduled for May 26, now shapes up as a test of whether Texas Republicans prefer an entrenched incumbent or a combative conservative aligned closely with President Trump.
After the first round, President Trump pledged to endorse one candidate and urged the other to step aside to avoid a divisive intraparty fight. Paxton publicly offered to withdraw if Cornyn could secure passage of the SAVE Act, a marquee voter ID measure stalled in the Senate, but Cornyn failed to deliver and President Trumps endorsement was delayed until Tuesday.
Incumbent senators rarely lose primaries, yet the recent defeat of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., by Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., signaled growing impatience with Republicans perceived as insufficiently conservative. Cassidy finished third behind Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming, who now head to their own runoff, a reminder that the last GOP senator ousted in a primary before Cassidy was Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., in 2012a pattern that may soon be tested again in Texas.
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