Trump may endorse in Texas Senate race after Democrats flip Republican district

TLDR:

• Democrats flipped a Fort Worth-area state Senate seat that Trump won by 17 points, sending shock waves through the GOP’s U.S. Senate race
• Trump is now hinting he may endorse in the race between Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt
• Republicans haven’t lost a statewide Texas race in 30 years, and party insiders fear a Paxton nomination could end that streak
• Both campaigns are burning through tens of millions while arguing the other candidate will force the party to waste resources defending Texas

President Trump faces mounting pressure to intervene in Texas’s chaotic Republican Senate primary after a shocking special election loss has party elites worried the GOP could lose its first statewide race in three decades.

Democrats flipped a state Senate seat in a Fort Worth-area district Mr. Trump carried by 17 points in 2024, with union leader Taylor Rehmet scoring a 14-point victory as independents and Republicans drifted away from the party.

The upset has intensified the bitter fight between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton over who can hold the seat in November.

“A vote for Ken Paxton is a vote to jeopardize the Texas Senate seat and make Chuck Schumer majority leader,” said Matt Mackowiak, Mr. Cornyn’s senior adviser.

The Cornyn team argues Democrats would exploit Mr. Paxton’s baggage — including a cheating scandal, messy divorce and legal troubles — forcing Republicans to pour millions into defending Texas rather than flipping seats in North Carolina, Michigan, Maine and Georgia.

Mr. Paxton’s camp dismissed the argument, saying the special election proves the party needs to energize Trump supporters.

“Texas voters don’t like him, don’t trust him, and won’t show up to vote for him in November,” said Nick Maddux, a Paxton adviser, referring to Mr. Cornyn.

Political observers say Mr. Trump’s recent hints about weighing in suggest concerns “are making their way up the ladder and all the way to the White House.”

“There’s no world in which Donald Trump wants to oversee Texas Republicans losing their first statewide race in 30 years,” said Joshua Blank of the University of Texas at Austin.

Read more:

• Democrats’ surprise win in Texas sends shock waves through GOP race for U.S. Senate