Trump doubles down on Ken Paxton as Texas Senate race appears close

Paxton managed to oust Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the primary, earlier this year, which came after he offered to drop out of the contest if Cornyn could secure passage of a voter ID bill.

Published: September 18, 2026 3:07pm

President Donald Trump on Friday issued a personal appeal for Texas voters to support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his bid for the Senate.

Paxton managed to oust Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the primary, earlier this year, which came after he offered to drop out of the contest if Cornyn could secure passage of a voter ID bill. 

Though typically Republican-leaning, Texas has witnessed a litany of polls showing Democratic nominee James Talarico ahead of Paxton in the contest, prompting the president to get involved on behalf of his chosen candidate.

"He is unbelievable. He is a loyal, hardworking character. Ken's one of the best state attorney generals in the entire country. He has been for the last many years and frankly he's gonna go down as one of the best ever," Trump said in a video.

"Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next U.S. Senator from Texas," he added.

Talarico currently holds an average 2.9% lead, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Cornyn, for his part, has been vocally critical of Paxton after his primary loss.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.

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