May 27, 2026 - Paxton Unseats Cornyn in Texas

Jimmie Rodgers sang "T for Texas" back in 1928. Lynyrd Skynyrd made it famous. Last night in the Lone Star State, the T stood for Trump.

No one can argue that Ken Paxton is a stronger Republican candidate than John Cornyn to oppose Democrat James Talarico in November. But that didn't matter on Tuesday. Paxton beat the four-term United States Senator - and it wasn't close.

Consider who Paxton is. He was impeached by his own party's Republican-controlled state house in 2023. Acquitted by the state senate - but impeached. He has faced federal corruption charges, accusations of bribery, abuse of office, and an extramarital affair. By any conventional political measure, this man should have been finished.

He wasn't - because President Donald Trump blessed him.

For months, the Cornyn-Paxton race was a genuine toss-up. The two came out of the March primary separated by barely a point. Cornyn had the money, the institutional support, Senate Majority Leader Thune in his corner. Trump stayed neutral and kept everyone guessing.

Then, seven days before Tuesday's runoff, Trump called Paxton a "true MAGA Warrior." Prediction markets swung from 60-40 Paxton to 95-5 overnight. Paxton won with nearly 62 percent of the vote.

One endorsement. One week. Done.

Now zoom out. This is happening while Trump's own approval sits somewhere in the 30s - a net negative of nearly 20 points, worse than Biden at this stage, worse than Trump himself during his first term. The New York Times has his disapproval at 59 percent, a record for that survey. Gas prices remain painful. The situation in Iran looks increasingly like a quagmire. It is easy to assume it's all doom and gloom for Trump.

And yet. A four-term U.S. Senator - one who voted with Trump 99 percent of the time - was just taken out because he wasn't MAGA enough.

A wake-up call and reminder that tens of millions of Americans still stand with this president regardless of what the polls and pundits say. They vote. As we head toward November, remember: we are, and will remain, a deeply divided nation.

Last night was the reminder.

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The Texas Tribune

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