Politics - CBSNews.com
Middleton wins Texas GOP attorney general runoff over Rep. Roy
Middleton, currently a State Senator, emerged victorious after a contentious fight.
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MAGA triumph: Trump ally Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in bitter Texas GOP primary war
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Texas AG Ken Paxton, endorsed by Trump as a "MAGA Warrior," defeats Sen. John Cornyn in the heated Republican Senate primary runoff election.
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Raw Story
Biographer shares sobering prediction about how Trump admin will end: 'This is it'
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."
Far Left
Raw Story
Ken Paxton roundly mocked by observers after victory speech: 'He has no juice!'
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.
Far Left
US news | The Guardian
Veteran Texas congressman Al Green beaten in Democratic primary runoff
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...
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Raw Story
GOP scheme to boost extremist candidate in primary race backfires spectacularly
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.
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Washington Examiner
Paxton beats Cornyn in high-profile Texas Senate GOP runoff
Four-term Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) lost renomination to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday in a GOP primary that became a referendum on loyalty to President Donald Trump. The Trump-backed Paxton received 62.5% of the votes compared to Cornyn’s 37.5% when the Associated Press called the race. The three-term attorney general will face off […]
Center Right
NBC News Politics
Cornyn concedes after projected loss in Texas Senate primary
Sen. John Cornyn spoke to supporters saying “we’ve come up short” after his projected defeat by Trump-backed candidate Ken Paxton in the Republican Senate primary in Texas.
Center Left
NYT > U.S. > Politics
Cornyn Crushed: 7 Takeaways From Tuesday’s Runoffs in Texas
President Trump’s record of ousting those he sees as disloyal continued apace with Senator John Cornyn’s defeat. Whether his relationship with Senate Republicans can be repaired is another question.
Center Left