A Republican Bloodbath in the Texas Senate Primary Is Giving Democrats Hope

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, is challenging incumbent Senator John Cornyn for a Senate seat, aiming to push the state further right. Cornyn won a primary without a majority, forcing a runoff against Paxton on May 26. Trump’s endorsement of Paxton in late spring boosted his prospects. Republican infighting and rising anti-Trump sentiment have made the Senate race more competitive than expected. Texas Democrats, long skeptical after repeated predictions of a blue Texas, are cautiously hopeful. Cornyn’s record aligns with typical Texas Republican positions, including opposition to abortion, restrictions on immigration, and support for gun rights. Some Republican-leaning voters criticize Cornyn as insufficiently conservative, calling him a “RINO.”

"Earlier this spring, Cornyn eked out a win in the primary, but, because neither candidate earned a majority, the two men will compete in a runoff, on May 26th. On Tuesday, Trump endorsed Paxton, giving him a significant boost. But prolonged Republican infighting, combined with growing anti-Trump sentiment, has resulted in a Senate race that seems more competitive than anyone would have predicted a year ago. Texas Democrats, wary after years of predictions that a blue Texas is just around the corner, are allowing themselves to hope again, cautiously."

"Cornyn, who is currently serving his fourth term in the Senate, has the kind of voting record you'd expect from a Texas Republican: anti-abortion, anti-immigration, pro-gun. In 2012, the National Journal listed him as the second most conservative member of the Senate. But, according to the Golden Girls, Cornyn was a " RINO "-Republican in name only. "I'm very anti career politician, and especially, I'm sorry, but I feel like he's not one hundred per cent be"

"In late April, a group of women with jangly earrings and effervescent energy sat in a beer garden in San Antonio with plastic cups of red wine in front of them. They introduced themselves as Carol, Mona, and Susan. "We call each other the Golden Girls, because we do so much together," Susan said. The evening's entertainment was a meet and greet with Republicans running for elected office. The women had already checked out Brandon Herrera, a congressional candidate, in more ways than one."

"But the night's main draw was the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, the far-right agitator who hopes to wrest a Senate seat away from the incumbent, John Cornyn. Earlier this spring, Cornyn eked out a win in the primary, but, because neither candidate earned a majority, the two men will compete in a runoff, on May 26th. On Tuesday, Trump endorsed Paxton, giving him a significant boost."

Read at The New Yorker