GOP fears Trump's last-minute Texas endorsement could give Dems the upper hand
Moments after President Donald Trump made his pick in the Texas Senate race, the mood among Senate Republicans immediately shifted. Several were already en route to their weekly, closed-door lunch...
By Fox News · Fox News
Moments after President Donald Trump made his pick in the Texas Senate race, the mood among Senate Republicans immediately shifted. Several were already en route to their weekly, closed-door lunch preparing to debate the now-stalled immigration funding package and lay out the road ahead for what was set to be a blistering week in the upper chamber. But Trump’s decision to pick Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, turned even the chattiest of lawmakers stone-faced. And some worry that the choice will jeopardize a seat that has been safely Republican for decades. TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN TEXAS SENATE RUNOFF CLASH BETWEEN CORNYN AND PAXTON Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said that she was "supremely disappointed" by the move. "I think that this puts that seat in jeopardy," Murkowski said. "Based on the numbers that I’ve seen, yeah," she said. "How does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?" The runoff winner will face insurgent Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who easily toppled Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, earlier this year and has been racking up endorsements from high-profile Democrats, including former President Barack Obama. RISING STAR TALARICO TOPPLES PROGRESSIVE FIREBRAND CROCKETT IN HIGH-STAKES TEXAS SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY History is on the side of Paxton should he come out on top. Texas hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. Still, many Republicans believed Cornyn was the better option. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who chaired the Senate GOP’s campaign arm that clinched the majority in 2024, told Fox News Digital that he was still backing Cornyn. "I do believe we are going to pull Texas, but I think John Cornyn was the safest bet," Daines said. Cornyn has long thrashed Paxton for the scandals that followed him into the race, like his impeachment and alleged affair, and warned that should Paxton win, he’ll be an "albatross" for the GOP heading into November.…