Trump Blames Cornyn and Rove If Paxton Loses Texas Senate Race
Trump publicly warned that Cornyn and Karl Rove would bear responsibility if GOP AG Ken Paxton loses his Texas Senate bid to Democrat James Talarico.
Former President Donald Trump turned up the heat on the Texas Senate race Wednesday, declaring that Sen. John Cornyn and Republican strategist Karl Rove would be to blame if Attorney General Ken Paxton fails to defeat Democratic Rep. James Talarico — a contest where polls currently show Paxton trailing.
Trump's public finger-pointing at two of the GOP establishment's most prominent Texas figures signals a deepening rift between the MAGA wing of the Republican Party and its traditional power brokers. By naming Cornyn and Rove specifically, Trump is framing a potential Paxton defeat not as a candidate failure but as a betrayal by insiders he has long viewed as obstacles to his political movement.
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Paxton, a firebrand conservative and staunch Trump ally, has faced significant headwinds in a race that should, on paper, favor Republicans in deep-red Texas. Talarico, a Democratic congressman, has managed to keep the contest competitive, a fact that has clearly rattled Trump and his allies who see Texas as a must-hold state heading into the broader political landscape.
The dynamic illustrates how factional battles within the Republican Party can complicate even nominally safe races. Trump's willingness to publicly assign blame before votes are counted reflects both his loyalty to Paxton and his ongoing campaign to marginalize establishment Republicans like Rove, a veteran operative who has frequently clashed with the Trump wing of the party.
With polling showing Paxton behind, the outcome of this race could reverberate well beyond Texas, potentially reshaping the internal power struggle inside the GOP. Continue reading at US Top News and Analysis.
