Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said the latest Republican political fallout in Texas proves one thing about President Donald Trump: “It shows that this guy is not only a kingmaker, he’s a career ender.”
Concha noted that Trump is now “118 for 118” this year in candidate endorsements and argued that with the president backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), Republicans could see another major victory in the state’s U.S. Senate race against Democratic candidate James Talarico.
“Who’s to think that with Trump’s backing of Paxton, that number can’t be at least repeated,” he said.
“And if you’re not on board with his agenda, as Thomas Massie just found out, Bill Cassidy just found out, John Cornyn just found out, you better start updating that resume and that LinkedIn page because your time politically is up if you’re not on board with the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement,” Concha said on Fox Business’s Varney & Company Wednesday.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) are all Republican lawmakers who have faced significant political pressure and primary challenges from Trump-backed candidates in congressional races.
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Concha also referenced former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, noting that, much like James Talarico is now, O’Rourke was once touted as the Democrat who could finally turn Texas blue. However, despite the hype, O’Rourke lost both his U.S. Senate race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and the race for governor.
Concha argued that Talarico is even more radical and arguably weirder than O’Rourke, emphasizing that he simply could not overcome the weak endorsement numbers surrounding his campaign.