President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary set off panic among Republicans who worry that keeping the seat will now be a more expensive and potentially futile endeavor.
By endorsing Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, Trump rejected the pleas of GOP leaders in Congress who for months had pushed Trump to back a proven winner in the Lone Star State.
Now with Trump in his corner, Paxton is well situated to win the primary runoff next week and face Democratic nominee James Talarico in the general election — a matchup Democrats have dreamed of for months.
Trump’s long-awaited announcement was met with shock and dismay among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she was “supremely disappointed” by Trump’s decision, which she said “puts that seat in jeopardy.”
