{"id":2973,"date":"2026-05-26T10:39:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/26\/true-maga-warrior-takes-on-old-guard-texan-in-key-test-of-trumps-gop-grip\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:39:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:39:57","slug":"true-maga-warrior-takes-on-old-guard-texan-in-key-test-of-trumps-gop-grip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2973","title":{"rendered":"\u2018True Maga warrior\u2019 takes on old-guard Texan in key test of Trump\u2019s GOP grip"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"3437b74a-2851-4891-a039-e18d05fa0ab1\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a composite image shows a man on the left walking outside and a man on the right walking while speaking onstage\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/fcdf94f10b46eff46723fe91f629799be16954fb\/0_0_1500_1200\/master\/1500.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">John Cornyn, left, and Ken Paxton, right, will run off on Tuesday in their Republican Senate primary.<\/span> Composite: Getty Images, Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"3437b74a-2851-4891-a039-e18d05fa0ab1\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">John Cornyn, left, and Ken Paxton, right, will run off on Tuesday in their Republican Senate primary.<\/span> Composite: Getty Images, Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">\u2018True Maga warrior\u2019 takes on old-guard Texan in key test of Trump\u2019s GOP grip<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-b3fmmo\">\n<p>Scandal-plagued Ken Paxton has won Trump\u2019s backing \u2013 can he defeat John Cornyn in a high-stakes primary runoff? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ken-paxton\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ken Paxton<\/a>, the state attorney general, takes on four-term incumbent John Cornyn on Tuesday in the ugliest primary election of the year. The winner of the Republican Senate runoff in Texas will contest November\u2019s general election against Democrat James Talarico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Paxton and Cornyn have spent months coveting the most valuable endorsement in Republican politics: Donald Trump. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/trump-endorses-republican-ken-paxton-senate\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Last week, scandal-plagued Paxton got it<\/a>, with the US president describing him as \u201ca true Maga warrior\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Supporters in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinneytexas.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">McKinney, Texas<\/a>, agree. \u201cPaxton is more conservative,\u201d said Jim Tubbesing, 77, strolling in Paxton\u2019s home town, a tranquil vision of Americana with cute antique shops, trendy bistros and a walkable historic downtown exuding 19th-century charm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cHe has been good for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/texas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Texas<\/a>. I vote for the policy, not the fact that he\u2019s alleged to have done something.\u201d Tubbesing, calling Cornyn a \u201cRino: Republican in name only.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The runoff is not fundamentally about policy, since Cornyn and Paxton would vote the same way on almost every piece of legislation. It is more about vibe and style, and has huge implications for Texas, control of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/us-senate\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">US Senate<\/a>, and the future direction of the Republican party.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c225b3bf-1ba4-4c1f-82cf-226d58ed19d1\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man stands in front of a crowd of people\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c8ad92f72423c0ead3652a6df43df3f6f7845565\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"c225b3bf-1ba4-4c1f-82cf-226d58ed19d1\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Ken Paxton at a campaign event in McKinney last week.<\/span> Photograph: LM Otero\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general and state supreme court justice, is widely seen as a last gasp of the Republican establishment. In a primary on 3 March, he narrowly beat Paxton, a far-right hardliner who has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/18\/us\/politics\/ken-paxton-texas-senate-race.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">impeached and indicted<\/a>. But those aggressive stances on immigration and culture war issues appeal to the party\u2019s base. But both men qualified for the runoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Jon Taylor, a political science professor at UT San Antonio, said of Cornyn: \u201cHe\u2019s like the last of the old-guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/republicans\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Republicans<\/a> in this state, someone who could \u2013 in some respects \u2013 trace his lineage back to both George Herbert Walker Bush and George W Bush.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Victory for Paxton, meanwhile, would continue Trump\u2019s winning streak of endorsements and testify to his enduring grip on the Republican party. But given Paxton\u2019s liabilities, it could also jeopardise a Senate seat against Talarico, a state legislator with a groundswell of popularity, looking to become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in Texas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Cristina Tzintz\u00fan Ramirez, a former Democratic candidate for Senate who is now a partner at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ascendstrategylabs.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ascend Strategy Labs<\/a><em>, <\/em>a social justice consulting firm in Austin, said: \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most exciting races in the country and, if Ken Paxton becomes the candidate, Talarico has a shot. That wouldn\u2019t just change the political outcome of our state for an election cycle; that would start to change the political outcome and possibilities for our country for a generation. That\u2019s what this Senate race means.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Texas is the second biggest state in the US. For decades, the Republican party here was moulded in the image of the Bush family: pragmatic, business-friendly and focused on the economy and free trade. Cornyn has helped the party raise millions of dollars and worked with Democrats on bipartisan bills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, described Cornyn as a \u201ccalm, serious, problem-oriented politician\u201d who works to resolve issues across the aisle. But that willingness to govern is precisely what has made him a target.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In 2022, Cornyn helped negotiate a bipartisan gun safety bill in the wake of the Uvalde school massacre. In the eyes of Trump\u2019s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement, it was an unforgivable betrayal. Republican consultant Vinny Minchillo said: \u201cCornyn certainly at the time knew this would come back to haunt him but felt like he made the best deal he could make for gun owners.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"1e444a3e-f22c-4b6d-8ac9-bd659ee39fea\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man speaks into a microphone\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a53101c2684d06797ba879fc32a22500d90bf48a\/0_0_5976_3977\/master\/5976.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.14541499330653\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"1e444a3e-f22c-4b6d-8ac9-bd659ee39fea\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">John Cornyn in Lubbock. Cornyn has become a target for the Maga wing of the Republican party.<\/span> Photograph: Annie Rice\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He has never faced a challenger like Paxton. Long before Trump descended an escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 to launch his run for the White House, Paxton was pioneering the grievance-fuelled, anti-establishment politics that would become the hallmark of Maga.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said: \u201cPaxton was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Donald Trump<\/a> before Donald Trump was. He was in the vanguard of the Tea Party movement, which was a major spur for the Maga movement nationally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cEven from his time as a state legislator in the early 2010s, he was willing to push the establishment and didn\u2019t much care about his personal reputation. He was more concerned with establishing an ideological foothold in the Republican party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">First elected state attorney general in 2014, Paxton sought to position himself as a national leader on the far right, launching some of the first criminal investigations in the US over <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/texas-illegal-abortion-charge-2ffba72c1d547afa87607bd0a3c32b92\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">abortion bans<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/transgender-health-texas-lawsuit-doctors-951fe220e9b694533bce38068278521f\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">gender-affirming care<\/a> for transgender youth. He also led a lawsuit attempting to overturn Trump\u2019s loss to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort the US supreme court rejected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But he comes with gigantic political baggage. Paxton was impeached in 2023 after being accused of corruption, and reported to the FBI. He was <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-871fb9c57b38fbda5bec5c2e5f280755\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">later acquitted in a trial in the Texas senate<\/a>, where his wife was a state senator but not allowed to cast a vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Paxton was also indicted on charges of felony securities fraud that could have led to a prison sentence, but the case was dismissed after a 2024 pre-trial diversion agreement. And last year his wife of 38 years, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AngelaPaxtonTX\/status\/1943366217479393512?s=20\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">on biblical grounds<\/a>\u201d, citing adultery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But back in McKinney, many are sticking with the home-town hero. At the Palace Barber Shop, which dates back to 1892 and where pictures of Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Trump \u2013 fist raised after an assassination attempt \u2013 adorn the bare brick wall, barber Beau Bonner, 57, said: \u201cI don\u2019t think\u2026 Paxton\u2019s doing a good enough job on the immigration invasion, but I\u2019m still gonna vote for him. Cornyn is not second-amendment friendly; he\u2019s a gun-grabber.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"41f07e88-4c32-4cff-820f-25b939ca853f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man sits in a chair with his head bowed\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/632282a8463065f34a10e6972bb3d00f35e09211\/0_0_6435_4290\/master\/6435.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"41f07e88-4c32-4cff-820f-25b939ca853f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Paxton at his impeachment trial in Austin in 2023.<\/span> Photograph: Eric Gay\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Asked about the main issues in the election, Bonner said: \u201cIt\u2019s the guns and it\u2019s the immigration. Everybody\u2019s familiar with Paxton\u2019s scandals<em>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Keenly aware of those scandals, Republican leaders pleaded with Trump to stay out of the race while Cornyn desperately tried to woo the president, for example by <a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/local\/cornyn-introduces-bill-to-rename-us-287-as-trump-interstate\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">introducing a bill<\/a> to name a future interstate highway after him. But it was all in vain. Trump threw his weight behind Paxton, perhaps aware that own legal and sexual dramas have raised the bar for what constitutes a career-ending offence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.rice.edu\/faculty\/mark-p-jones\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Mark Jones<\/a>, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, observed: \u201cThere\u2019s a whole host of baggage there that roughly half of Republican primary voters are ignoring, or they see and don\u2019t believe it, or they see it and don\u2019t care because Paxton has used his position as the attorney general of Texas to further the conservative agenda at the national, state, and local level in a powerful way.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The general electorate, including suburban Republican women and independent voters, may take a different view, however. Jones added: \u201cIf you step back as a neutral observer and think about November 2026, it\u2019s pretty clear that Paxton is the weaker candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cHe\u2019s deeply flawed: his status as a serial adulterer; his income has increased by 7,000% since first assuming public office; he\u2019s retaliated against conservative whistleblowers; he\u2019s supported the January 6 insurrection; he was indicted on felonies security charges. In many ways, Paxton is a Democratic campaign consultant\u2019s dream because you can test all of your different attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Indeed, not every Republican is willing to turn a blind eye to Paxton\u2019s transgressions. Nathaniel Moran, a congressman who represents Texas\u2019s first district, has never previously endorsed in a primary, but decided to back Cornyn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He said by phone: \u201cI hear so many people on the election campaign trail say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re tired of the corruption in Washington DC,\u2019 and I completely agree with them. So why would we elect a man to the United States Senate who has proven himself to be corrupt and not been contrite about the corruption and not work to change the corruption over the last decade?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c33981e4-aad5-46a7-8aa8-68377ddaa8a2\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-5\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a person holds a sign in support of John Cornyn\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/10b2c3cd4a387c13b7e2643b2471ec1edfd17c59\/0_0_5531_3688\/master\/5531.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.72030374254206\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-5\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"c33981e4-aad5-46a7-8aa8-68377ddaa8a2\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A supporter holds a sign in support of John Cornyn.<\/span> Photograph: Annie Rice\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Perry Stagl, 51, sitting behind the counter of his sports memorabilia store in McKinney, shared that skepticism. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely not going to be Paxton,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s too many scandals behind him, and now he\u2019s trying to sue everybody. It\u2019s not the American or Texas way. It\u2019s the shadiness of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">With policy differences negligible, the primary runoff has descended into a dark battle over culture-war grievances, with Paxton aggressively pushing a narrative regarding the \u201cIslamification\u201d of Texas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The epicentre of this manufactured panic is a proposed mixed-use development known as Epic City, which is spearheaded by Muslim developers. Paxton has weaponised the justice system to target the development, filing lawsuits and whipping up grassroots hysteria over the creeping threat of \u201cSharia law\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Last week, on the Senate floor, Cornyn introduced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KVCIJSghxKc&amp;feature=youtu.be\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ban Outsiders Openly Touting (Boot) Sharia Law Act<\/a>, which would bar non-US citizens who support Sharia law from entering or remaining in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Taylor of UT San Antonio, said: \u201cI\u2019m truly mind-blown by this one, that somehow 25 years after the 9\/11 attacks, when a not-so-competent president but nonetheless a Texan pushed the idea of some level of understanding when it comes to Islam, we\u2019re now back to this: \u2018Ooh, Sharia law, it\u2019s coming for us, we gotta stop all this stuff&#8217;.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.electevanhunt.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Evan Hunt,<\/a> Democratic nominee for Texas\u2019s third congressional district, views the strategy as a cynical distraction. He said: \u201cThey learned a lesson from Trump that they could get elected if they scapegoat whole groups of people and blame them for all the problems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThey\u2019re blaming the Hindu American community with claims of H-1B visa fraud. They\u2019re blaming the Muslim community with claims that they\u2019re trying to spread Sharia law and take over the country. They\u2019re blaming the Chinese American community, saying that Chinese nationals are trying to buy up property and they want to spy. All of this is nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">While Republicans trade cultural grievances, voters are suffocating under the weight of an affordability crisis that could define the general election in November, not least among Latino voters who backed Trump in 2024 but could return to the Democratic fold.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"4502d57a-4e0f-46cf-8608-b8280e7eeef5\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-6\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man speaks to a room full of people\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/8a20d826dbcdd82220ab289d0e9cd53ffcfb9cd9\/0_0_3615_2410\/master\/3615.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-6\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"4502d57a-4e0f-46cf-8608-b8280e7eeef5\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Paxton speaks to supporters in Dallas at an event last week.<\/span> Photograph: Julio Cortez\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Ramirez of Ascend Strategy Labs said: \u201cSomeone came to my house today that was a construction worker and was like, Cristina, have you seen how much gas is? It\u2019s $4.20 a gallon. People are struggling to get by<em>. <\/em>There is a significant portion of the of the Latino vote that is simply up for grabs. And their number one issue is their deep economic pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Maria Garcia, president of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.collincountygop.org\/about\/clubs\/hispanic-republican-club-of-north-texas\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Hispanic Republican Club of North Texas<\/a> and a Paxton supporter, said: \u201cI am very concerned that Texas will turn purple. The candidates are just the icing on the top that will help guide them but it\u2019s more because the party has not done a good job. We\u2019re missing leadership. We need better leadership and we need better outreach and messaging.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For election after election, Democrats and the national media have engaged in the ritual of predicting that demographic shifts will finally turn Texas blue, only to watch the Republican firewall hold firm on election night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But some say 2026 feels different, largely due to the unique convergence of Paxton\u2019s monumental vulnerabilities, Trump\u2019s historic unpopularity the emergence of Talarico as a rare talent. The Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher speaks a language of faith that Democrats typically abandon to the right \u2013 and could provide a devastating contrast to Paxton\u2019s ethical swamp.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"659a78a8-26bb-47e6-917b-2a33ac212f6b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-7\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man speaks into a microphone\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/fa04ec99db838b608f68a2603151ff2a6b48a88b\/0_0_5500_3667\/master\/5500.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.69363636363636\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-7\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"659a78a8-26bb-47e6-917b-2a33ac212f6b\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Democrat James Talarico, who will face Cornyn or Paxton in the midterm election in November.<\/span> Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kendallscudder.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Kendall Scudder<\/a>, chairman of the Texas Democratic party, said: \u201cIt\u2019s sad, the state of things right now. It doesn\u2019t have to be this way. We can get people like this out and put people that are looking out for Texas and who have integrity back in office again. Democrats built this state and it\u2019s going to take Democrats to save it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Republicans are quietly panicking. Last month a Texas Public Opinion Research survey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/28\/texas-senate-talarico-leads-race-cornyn-paxton\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">showed Talarico ahead<\/a> of both Cornyn and Paxton in hypothetical matchups. The party will now be forced to spend millions of dollars to defend the Texas seat, draining resources from battleground states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Katie Gassensmith, a 45-year-old teacher from Allen, Texas, represents the kind of voter who could decide the election. Her verdict on the Republican primary was swift and brutal. \u201cThey are both dicks,\u201d she said of Cornyn and Paxton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cKen Paxton has no moral values. He has embezzled money from the people and citizens of Texas. He has cheated on his wife. He has misused taxpayer funds. John Cornyn also doesn\u2019t represent me or my politics and beliefs. Both of these gentlemen are out for themselves and their own personal benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Gassensmith is backing Talarico, hoping that the tide is finally turning. She points to recent local elections where rightwing, book-banning school board members and a Maga mayoral candidate were routed by moderates. She added: \u201cI feel like, hopefully, change is afoot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/republicans\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/texas\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-senate\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-congress\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Congress<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98True%20Maga%20warrior%E2%80%99%20takes%20on%20old-guard%20Texan%20in%20key%20test%20of%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20GOP%20grip&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/republican-primary-runoff-texas?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F26%2Frepublican-primary-runoff-texas&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/republican-primary-runoff-texas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Cornyn, left, and Ken Paxton, right, will run off on Tuesday in their Republican Senate primary. Composite:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}