John Thune goes 'all in' for Ken Paxton after bitter primary ripped GOP apart
Thune announced his support on the Hugh Hewitt Show, less than a day after Paxton won the Texas GOP runoff
By Alex Miller Fox News
Published May 27, 2026 4:34pm EDT | Updated May 27, 2026 4:37pm EDT
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton added another endorsement to his growing field of backers in the Senate GOP: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Thune announced his support of Paxton on the Hugh Hewitt show Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after the bloody primary fight in the Lone Star State concluded. And the main target now is Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the insurgent Democratic nominee waiting for Paxton in November.
The voters, Republican voters in Texas spoke last night," Thune said. "Ken Paxton is our nominee heading into November, and we got to pivot and go all in to make sure that we keep Texas red, that he wins, and that we keep a far-left liberal out of the United States Senate."
"And obviously, that seat is gonna be very key to our majority, which will determine the future of this country," he continued.
Paxton was neither Thune nor the majority of Senate Republicans' first choice, however.
Most of the Senate GOP backed longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, throughout the grueling battle to elect Texas' Republican nominee for Senate. And many were shocked when President Donald Trump opted to endorse Paxton at the last minute, one week before Tuesday night's runoff election finale.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-thune-goes-ken-paxton-bitter-primary-ripped-gop-apart
