What President Donald Trump says goes in the Republican Party, no matter what polling says about his popularity.

It’s a troubling reality we face as he continues to squash dissent among members of his own party, and by extension, muting political discourse.

On May 26, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn handily in the Republican primary for Cornyn's seat in the U.S. Senate. Trump endorsed Paxton on May 19, saying that Cornyn, the four-term incumbent whose votes were solidly conservative, “was not supportive of me when times were tough.” 

It’s the continuation of a pattern that has been emerging on the right in recent months: Trump, as the leader of the Republican Party, is slowly picking off members of the GOP who disagree with him so that he can have total control of the party. We’ve seen it happen in Indiana, Kentucky and Louisiana. Now, we’re witnessing it in Texas.

Democrats should be worried about the effect this is having on the other leading political party. Without a strong Republican Party full of a variety of opinions, bipartisanship will be a thing of the past, and our country will look more like an authoritarian regime with each passing day.

Trump is tightening his grip on........

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