Did Republicans Put a Senate Seat in Play in TX?

[mystery-ak]

Did Republicans Put a Senate Seat in Play in TX?
Ed Morrissey 4:00 PM | May 27, 2026

Spoiler alert: Naaah. But it's certainly fun to fantasize.

Yes, John Cornyn may have been a slightly safer bet than Ken Paxton in a general election. Given the relative difference between how the two would have voted over the next six years, the gain from nominating Paxton probably doesn't justify the assumed risk of dethroning the incumbent Cornyn. It might take more money to fight for the seat in the general election, but that assumes that Democrats would have left Texas alone had Cornyn eked out a win over Paxton.

In the end, though, Texas is Texas, and a primary runoff doesn't change the nature of the Republican or Democrat parties in the Lone Star State.

First off, does anyone know how long it has been since Democrats won a statewide election in Texas? That last happened in Bill Clinton's first term, in the 1994 midterms. Texas Democrats have not won a statewide election in 32 years, a longer skunk streak than Republicans have in Minnesota (2006). Beginning in Clinton's term, Texas Democrats took a turn to the Left, and began their long retreat into Academia. About the closest they came was in 2018, when Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke came within four points of Ted Cruz. That was in a Blue Wave election cycle where Democrats poured tens of millions of dollars into the state, and national media tried to turn O'Rourke into the second coming of JFK, too.

It's not for nothing that Texas Democrats have the longest current streak of statewide-election futility in the nation.

more
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/05/27/did-republicans-put-a-senate-seat-in-play-in-tx-n3815333

[Wingnut]

About time that "incumbents" realise they ain't shit if they tell you time and time again you'll get nothing and like it..   

[catfish1957]

Vegan gay groomer who believes in a 6 gender God being elected at state wide level in Texas?

Normally, I'd say no.  But after the recent California and Yankee invasion, mostly in Travis County?.....  Not so sure.

[Wingnut]

Vegan gay groomer who believes in a 6 gender God being elected at state wide level in Texas?

Normally, I'd say no.  But after the recent California and Yankee invasion, mostly in Travis County?.....  Not so sure.

North Tarrant county is lousy with Cali libs and Muzzies too.  Place was reliably red when I lived there.  Now....not so much.

[dfwgator]

North Tarrant county is lousy with Cali libs and Muzzies too.  Place was reliably red when I lived there.  Now....not so much.

Plus all the Indians in Collin County, who don't eat meat, would love a Vegan.

[andy58-in-nh]

The New York/D.C./L.A. news media somehow cannot understand that Texas is not about to vote for a guy who wants to ban barbecues, open the border, celebrate Transsexuals and who thinks God is non-binary.

Maybe Austin, parts of DFW and Houston, but statewide... nope.

[catfish1957]

The New York/D.C./L.A. news media somehow cannot understand that Texas is not about to vote for a guy who wants to ban barbecues, open the border, celebrate Transsexuals and who thinks God is non-binary.

Maybe Austin, parts of DFW and Houston, but statewide... nope.

This kerfuffle between Cornyn and Paxton pissed a lot off, and I hope by November it doesn't impact GOTV, and overall turnout.  In my parts, 3 of 4 voted for Paxton.  Problem is that there are a lot of big city suburbanites who toe the Bush-RINO line who might stay home.  I think this thing is going to be close.  Dims are pouring in record money, and MSM already making him a TX savior,. 

[andy58-in-nh]

This kerfuffle between Cornyn and Paxton pissed a lot off, and I hope by November it doesn't impact GOTV, and overall turnout.  In my parts, 3 of 4 voted for Paxton.  Problem is that there are a lot of big city suburbanites who toe the Bush-RINO line who might stay home.  I think this thing is going to be close.  Dims are pouring in record money, and MSM already making him a TX savior,.

I honestly don't believe it will be all that close. If the Dems had nominated an old-school, Lloyd Bentsen-type candidate, then they would absolutely have a shot. But this is the queer/commie Democrat Party of the 2020's, not the one that existed in the 1970's.

[Bigun]

The New York/D.C./L.A. news media somehow cannot understand that Texas is not about to vote for a guy who wants to ban barbecues, open the border, celebrate Transsexuals and who thinks God is non-binary.

Maybe Austin, parts of DFW and Houston, but statewide... nope.

LOVE THAT!

If Texas elects Talarico it's time to go to the mattresses.

[Fishrrman]

Andy wrote:
"I honestly don't believe it will be all that close. If the Dems had nominated an old-school, Lloyd Bentsen-type candidate, then they would absolutely have a shot. But this is the queer/commie Democrat Party of the 2020's, not the one that existed in the 1970's."

Dug this up at realclearpolling.
These results are old, but... suggest a fairly close contest.
We'll have to see what the next set of results are now that the candidates have been finalized...

[Wingnut]

Andy wrote:
"I honestly don't believe it will be all that close. If the Dems had nominated an old-school, Lloyd Bentsen-type candidate, then they would absolutely have a shot. But this is the queer/commie Democrat Party of the 2020's, not the one that existed in the 1970's."

Dug this up at realclearpolling.
These results are old, but... suggest a fairly close contest.
We'll have to see what the next set of results are now that the candidates have been finalized...

It is only close because they wnat it to be.

[Wingnut]

I moved to TX in 79.  DFW.  Saw a lot of line dancers at Billy Bobs that were questionable.   Having said that, when I was at the Greenville Avenue Bar and Grille, I knew where my people were at.  The Boots were dirty. The girls,..well, they had a way to figure out the posers.  Somehow these old boot scooting liberals at Billy Bobs forgot their roots.

PS
There was a Cowboys BAr on Mockingbird Ln. in Dallas that had the finest women I have ever seen in my Yankee life.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

By 'Republicans', this must refer to voters, some of which undoubtedly could have been Democrats as even Dems know you get little choice on local elections if you vote a Democrat primary.

If by 'Republicans' it is meaning the Republican party, this is untrue.  The GOP spent many millions voting against Paxton.

[Smokin Joe]

Plus all the Indians in Collin County, who don't eat meat, would love a Vegan.

 

Oh. Dot. Not feather.

[Elderberry]

Cornyn’s Slaughter: A Postmortem

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog 5/28/2026

Attacking so fast they won't know what hit them…

It’s pretty rare that a four term incumbent senator gets primaried out of office. Indeed, I think you’d have to go back to Alfonse D’Amato defeating Jacob Javits in 1980 for the last time it happened, back when New York was still capable of electing Republicans statewide. So it’s worth taking a deeper look at why John Cornyn got slaughtered by Ken Paxton in Tuesday’s runoff.

And a slaughter it was. Cornyn lost by 384,000 votes, or 27% of people voting. Nor was it a geographical narrow victory for Paxton. Cornyn lost everywhere:

Cornyn won two counties: Liberal, politics-obsessed Travis County, where Cornyn won by just over 2,000 votes, and (as commenter FM noted) rural coastal Kenedy County, the third least populous county in the state with 350 people, where Cornyn won by all of 6 votes to 2. If there’s ever been such a geographically dominant statewide victory in a runoff, I can’t remember it. (Dan Patrick walloped David Dewhurst by a slightly larger margin in the 2014 Lt. Governor runoff, but Dewhurst still won more counties than Cornyn did.)

Some national media has gotten a key fact about the race wrong. No, it was not a dead heat until President Trump endorsed Paxton; polls throughout the runoff constantly showed Paxton ahead by substantial margins. Indeed, between Paxton, Wesley Hunt, and longshot Sara Canady, fully 58% of Republican primary voters cast their ballots against longtime incumbent Cornyn, which should have been a big warning sign.

And if money was truly the only thing that mattered in politics, Cronyn should have mopped the floor with Paxton. Cornyn’s own campaign and allied Super PACs poured more than $100 million into Cornyn’s campaign to no visible effect.

More: https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=71772

[Wingnut]

Oh. Dot. Not feather.

Ywep>  Not the Faux Tribe that spawned Lizzy Warren!

[Cyber Liberty]

Did Republicans Put a Senate Seat in Play in TX?

A silly question...this is politics!  Everything is always "in play!"