Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate race and will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate contests of this election cycle.

In the GOP primary, President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, whom many Republicans viewed as the safer general-election candidate.

Trump has a long history of backing candidates in Republican primaries who later prove weaker in general elections. Senate Republicans have every reason to be frustrated by that pattern. But in Trump’s GOP, loyalty often matters more than electability.

Trump's Texas Senate endorsement was a mistake

Paxton is an unusually vulnerable candidate with a long trail of scandal behind him. The Texas House impeached him on allegations of bribery and abuse of power, with many Republicans joining Democrats in support. Though the Texas Senate later acquitted him, the accusations remain a serious political liability.

Paxton’s personal life also gives Democrats an easy line of attack. In 2025, his wife filed for divorce on “biblical........

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