UMVA has learned that the moment President Donald Trump announced his pick for the Texas Senate race, the atmosphere among Senate Republicans turned icy.
Lawmakers who were on their way to a closed‑door lunch to hash out an immigration funding package stopped in their tracks, their faces turning stone‑cold as the news sank in.
Trump’s decision to elevate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over long‑time incumbent Sen. John Cornyn sent shockwaves through the chamber, raising doubts that a seat held by Republicans for decades could now be at risk.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed “supreme disappointment,” warning that the choice could jeopardize the Texas seat and weaken the president’s hand in a crucial battleground.
The runoff’s eventual winner will face insurgent state Rep. James Talarico, the Democrat who unseated Rep. Jasmine Crockett earlier this year and has been gathering high‑profile endorsements.
History favors Paxton: Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, and many Republicans believed Cornyn was the safer bet.
Sen. Steve Daines, who steered the Senate GOP’s 2024 victory, confirmed his backing of Cornyn, calling him “the safest bet” to keep Texas in the Republican column.
Cornyn has long attacked Paxton for the scandals that have dogged his campaign, warning that a Paxton victory could become an “albatross” for the party heading into November.
“Texas voters must choose a strong nominee to protect down‑ballot GOP candidates and defeat Talarico, or a weak one that endangers everything we care about,” Cornyn urged.
Paxton’s campaign strategist countered that Paxton is a proven winner of three statewide elections, dismissing Cornyn’s record as nonexistent after 42 years.
The strategist warned that Republicans face the most radical Democrat ever to run statewide in Texas and must unite to block extremist views.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton, arriving just a week before the primary runoff, jolted Senate Republicans already reeling from other Trump‑backed upsets.
As Election Day approaches, Cornyn and Paxton will clash one final time, while many of Cornyn’s colleagues refuse to abandon him, fearing Paxton’s baggage could imperil the seat.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost his own primary to a Trump‑backed candidate, bluntly said he once thought Paxton was a felon.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who lobbied heavily for Cornyn, acknowledged that the endorsement was Trump’s call but reaffirmed his support for Cornyn, calling him a principled, effective conservative.
