Paxton’s Senate Bid Draws Fire as Texas Race Tightens
On November 3, Republican Ken Paxton was trailing Democrat James Talarico in Texas’s Senate race, with 55% of the vote counted and Talarico ahead by 19 points, one account of the tally said. The contest followed a costly Republican primary and a campaign that had drawn criticism of President Donald Trump’s decision to endorse Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
Fox News host Trey Gowdy argued that Republicans had wasted money by choosing Paxton. He said Cornyn had voted with Trump 99.3% of the time and contended that the roughly $500 million spent on the race could have supported Republican candidates in other states. Spending across the primaries and general election had reached $544.5 million by November 1, making it the most expensive U.S. Senate race on record.
Trump backed Paxton in the Republican runoff in May, after Cornyn led the first round among three candidates. Paxton’s candidacy drew scrutiny over corruption allegations that prompted the Texas House to impeach him in 2023; the state Senate acquitted him. His campaign also faced questions about fundraising and its ability to match Talarico’s advertising.
Polling before Election Day offered differing pictures: a New York Times/Siena survey put Talarico seven points ahead, while a Trafalgar poll found the race essentially tied. The RealClearPolling average showed Talarico up about 2.6 points. The election tally cited on November 3 showed a wider gap, though the race had not been called in that account.
Trump’s Paxton Endorsement Turns Texas Race Into GOP Warning
On November 3, the Texas Senate race offered a stark example of the risk in putting loyalty to Donald Trump ahead of electability. With 55% of votes counted, Republican Ken Paxton trailed Democrat James Talarico by 19 points, according to the reported tally.
Trump endorsed Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican runoff. Cornyn had led the first round among three candidates, and Fox host Trey Gowdy said he had voted with Trump 99.3% of the time. Yet the party spent heavily to advance Paxton, with spending across the primary and general-election contests reaching $544.5 million by November 1.
Gowdy argued the money could have helped Republicans in competitive Senate races elsewhere instead of trying to carry Paxton across the finish line. The choice is especially hard to defend given the scrutiny Paxton faced: lawmakers in the Texas House impeached him in 2023 amid corruption allegations, though the state Senate acquitted him. His campaign also struggled to match Talarico’s advertising, despite support from Republican donors and outside groups.
Pre-election polling varied, ranging from a seven-point Talarico lead in a New York Times/Siena poll to a near tie in a Trafalgar survey. The vote count showed a far larger gap. The episode underlines the cost of a party leadership that treated a loyal candidate as more important than a stronger chance of winning.
Texas Senate Spending Soars as Paxton Trails Talarico
On November 3, Texas’s Senate race remained uncalled in the reported tally, with 55% of votes counted and Republican Ken Paxton behind Democrat James Talarico by 19 points. The contest’s enormous cost and Trump’s decision to endorse Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn have fueled criticism from within the Republican camp.
Fox News host Trey Gowdy said Republicans had spent about $500 million trying to elect Paxton when the money could have gone toward Senate contests in other states. Total spending across the primaries and general election stood at $544.5 million by November 1, a record for a Senate race. The scale of the spending makes the campaign’s result especially consequential for Republicans.
Trump backed Paxton in the May runoff after Cornyn had led the first round among three candidates. Gowdy noted that Cornyn had voted with Trump 99.3% of the time and argued that nominating him would have avoided a costly intraparty fight. Paxton, meanwhile, faced political liabilities, including his 2023 impeachment by the Texas House amid corruption allegations; the state Senate later acquitted him.
The polling picture before Election Day was not uniform. A New York Times/Siena survey showed Talarico seven points ahead, while Trafalgar found the race essentially tied; the RealClearPolling average gave Talarico a lead of about 2.6 points. The tally cited on November 3 showed a wider deficit for Paxton, raising questions about whether the Republican strategy and spending could overcome the headwinds.
Reported by The Daily Beast, The Washington Examiner.
