Paxton is riding an endorsement from President Trump in his attempt to unseat incumbent John Cornyn.
AUSTIN, Texas — Voters head to the polls on Tuesday to pick the Republican nominee from Texas for U.S. Senate. It’s a hotly contested primary runoff between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Cornyn was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and is serving his fourth term. Paxton has been attorney general for the last 11 years, starting his first term in 2015 and winning re-election twice.
The race took a turn on the second day of early voting when President Trump gave his endorsement to Paxton.
Rice University Political Science Professor Mark Jones says the presidential stamp of approval carries serious weight.
“President Trump’s endorsement is the endorsement of all endorsements,” he said.
Jones says Paxton was already entering the runoff as a slight favorite, but Trump’s backing may have widened that advantage heading into Tuesday’s vote.
“It pushes more undecided voters towards Paxton than towards Cornyn,” Jones said. “It also will cause some voters who might have stayed home to actually turn out to vote.”
Cornyn, speaking to reporters in Washington Wednesday, pushed back, suggesting Paxton could actually hurt Republicans further down the ballot in November.
“I think it’s a toss-up, and I also think he’s going to be a drag on down ballot races that are important for us to keep majorities in the state house and keep our judges,” Cornyn said.
Still, Jones says the math is looking tough for Cornyn at this point.
“Given the support that Paxton already had, plus the value of Donald Trump’s endorsement, it’s going to be a near miracle for Cornyn to win on Tuesday,” Jones said. “But not impossible.”
The Cornyn-Paxton race has featured a series of attack ads. Before the Trump endorsement, Cornyn’s campaign launched an ad set to music, titled ‘Ken Paxton’s Love Shack’ reminding voters about past Paxton scandals, including affairs with two different mistresses. Paxton fired off an ad of his own, using Cornyn’s own words where he’s broken with President Trump in the past.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination will face Democrat James Talarico in November.
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