Lauren Green, a congressional reporter for the Washington Examiner, stated that Republicans are likely to support Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, despite some party members campaigning against him in the runoff election against four-term Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Green noted that Republicans prefer Paxton over Democratic nominee James Talarico in order to maintain a Republican-led Senate.
Paxton won the Republican Senate nomination runoff election on Tuesday, receiving 63.8% of the vote. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) had supported Cornyn and released advertisements criticizing Paxton, focusing on his controversial history, including his divorce and impeachment for bribery and abuse of office.
Following Paxton's victory, the NRSC reportedly began removing posts that criticized him. Green suggested that Democrats would likely use the same criticisms against Paxton as Republicans shift their focus to attacking Talarico. She indicated that the general election could be as contentious as the primary, with Democrats prepared to invest significantly in the race.
After Paxton's primary win, Talarico raised over $600,000 in campaign donations within two hours. Green emphasized that Democrats are increasingly viewing Texas as a target for regaining Senate control, which could require Republicans to allocate more resources to the state, potentially diverting funds from other competitive races in states like Maine, Georgia, and North Carolina.