Race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into midterms, where Paxton will face Democratic candidate James TalaricoKen Paxton, the Donald Trump-backed Texas attorney general, triumphed over incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for senator. His victory signals that even a scandal-plagued candidate can win over the deep red state with the support of the president.The race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm elections, where Paxtonwill now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention. If he wins, Talarico would become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in Texas. Continue reading...
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) became the latest casualty of President Trump’s revenge tour on Tuesday after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) easily trounced the incumbent in the Senate GOP runoff. Paxton is projected to garner about 64 percent support with over 95 percent of the vote reported early Wednesday, according to Decision Desk HQ The state’s attorney…
Middleton, currently a State Senator, emerged victorious after a contentious fight.
One of President Donald Trump's biographers shared a sobering prediction about how the second Trump administration will end during a new podcast interview on Tuesday. Michael Wolff, a journalist who has written four books about Trump, discussed Trump's health with Joanna Coles, the Daily Beast's chief content officer, on a new episode of "Inside Trump's Head," the podcast they co-host. Wolff said Trump's "sense of the dramatic" makes it likely that his presidency will end suddenly and surprisingly, almost certainly in a way that gives Trump the place in history that he seems to crave. "I think that there's a very good chance that it just ends all of a sudden," Wolff said. "No warning, no preparation. He falls."Wolff's comments came at a time when questions swirled about Trump's health following his semi-annual physical at Walter Reed Hospital. Trump declared that he was perfectly healthy after the exam, although some medical experts remained skeptical. Wolff noted that Trump is facing an environmental risk to his health that many presidents face during their second term, one that could exacerbate any issues he already faces. "I think the second term for every president is, to say the least, a downer," Wolff said. "First thing, you have nothing to work toward. You're not running again. You see your end, and that must be frightening. And also, everyone is taking things from you. The loneliness must set in, probably exactly at the point Trump is at now. He's facing the midterms. They're going to be a catastrophe for Trump." Wolff added that if the second Trump administration were to end abruptly, that may be all Trump needs to be remembered by the history books. "I think he has enough of a sense of the dramatic that he knows that he has to go out like this," Wolff said. "This is it. This would give him his place in history."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was roundly mocked on Tuesday night after he gave his victory speech for defeating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the state's runoff election. Paxton was declared the winner just after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET. He will move on to face Democratic Texas state lawmaker James Talarico in November, a race that some GOP pundits have suggested will be expensive because Paxton is not known for his fundraising skills. During his speech, Paxton took a shot at Talarico by calling him a "vegan" and a "threat to our way of life." "He's a threat to our very way of life and our values," Paxton said dryly. "I mean, he's a vegan who thinks God in nonbinary, and he thinks there are six biological genders." Political analysts and observers roundly mocked Paxton online. "Paxton is favored just because of the state's partisan lean, but it is wild to me that this guy has made it this far in state politics. He has no juice! none! zilch!" Jamelle Bouie, a columnist at The New York Times, posted on Bluesky. "Incredible that they've taken Talarico saying his order at a particular taco place was a potato, egg, and cheese breakfast taco and turned that into 'he's a vegan,'" immigration attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick posted on Bluesky. "Just straight-up old-school flim-flam.""These people are too online, I don’t think the average person even knows what it means to say God is nonbinary or importantly cares when gas is $4 a gallon," Zaid Jilani, a writer, posted on X. "I hope the Texans who voted for him can stuff red meat in their gas tanks, which — on account of having a hole — must be female, while they are praying to be able to afford their groceries," Branislav Slantchev, a political science professor at UCSD, posted on X.
Christian Menefee wins 18th district race after Republican gerrymandering carved up Green’s reliably Democratic seatChristian Menefee, a freshman Democratic US representative, beat veteran congressman Al Green on Tuesday in a fierce runoff that was the product of Republican gerrymandering.Last year, the Republican-dominated Texas legislature unveiled a congressional map designed to flip seats in the GOP’s favor. Donald Trump had urged the state’s lawmakers to safeguard the party’s congressional majority. Continue reading...
U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee defeated U.S. Rep. Al Green on Tuesday in the Democratic runoff for Houston's newly redrawn 18th Congressional District.Why it matters: Menefee's victory is set to end Green's two-decade run in Congress.State of play: Menefee received 68.6% (21,678 votes), while Green received 31.4% (9,930 votes) with 61% of votes counted, per the Associated Press. The AP called the election in favor of Menefee about 30 minutes after polls closed Tuesday. The two were the top vote-getters in the March Democratic primary, but neither won enough support to avoid a runoff.Catch up quick: Menefee already won a special election earlier this year to fill the seat left vacant by former Rep. Sylvester Turner's death.Menefee had to run again to keep the seat for the term starting in 2027. Green represented Houston's 9th Congressional District for two decades before running in the 18th after Texas lawmakers redrew his old seat to favor Republicans.Flashback: The race heated up immediately after the March primary. Green said Menefee made a "deal with the devil" for accepting campaign contributions from a crypto super PAC. Menefee said Green's comments were "desperate" and came from someone who's "been in office 20 years and they were down on the first ballot."What they're saying: "Tonight belongs to the people of this district," Menefee said in a statement Tuesday night. "This is your victory, and I will spend every day in Washington making sure it means something.""Republicans have made this hard on purpose," he added. "In November, we have the opportunity to change the leadership of this state, and I am calling on every voter in Texas to seize it."What's next: Menefee will face Republican nominee Ronald Whitfield, a political newcomer, in the November election.
Following a massive victory in the Texas republican primary race, defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn, Texas AG Ken Paxton speaks to an enthusiastic audience of supporters in his home state. In the other half of the video, beginning at 10:39, defeated Texas Senator John Cornyn delivers his concession speech. WATCH: . Posted in Big Government, […] The post Texas AG Ken Paxton Speaks After the Triumphant Victory in Texas Republican Primary – Senator John Cornyn Delivers Somber Concession appeared first on The Last Refuge.
Republican efforts to interfere in a Democratic congressional primary in Texas ended in failure on Tuesday night.According to Decision Desk HQ and the Associated Press, Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Garcia has defeated sex therapist Maureen Galindo in a closely-watched contest for the Democratic nomination for Texas's 35th Congressional District.Galindo attracted national attention for a number of extreme and antisemitic statements, including the vow to convert Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities into prisons for "American Zionists" and claims that her opponent was involved in human trafficking.The situation was further amplified by reporting that Lead Left PAC, a shadowy progressive-sounding political group that was in fact controlled by Republican operatives, was pumping money into the race on Galindo's behalf — an evident attempt to boost the candidate whom Republicans saw as weaker.The final few weeks of the campaign saw a huge spectrum of national and local Democratic leaders endorsing Garcia, from Blue Dogs to progressives, as well as an aggressive ad campaign warning voters that Galindo had an extremist record and was being supported by Republican dark money.The 35th District is one of many that were redrawn to be more GOP-leaning in the Trump-backed congressional gerrymander. Democrats remain hopeful that in a heavily anti-Trump environment, they can still win the seat.