Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) threw his support behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday, bringing Senate leadership one step closer to coalescing around a Republican they spent months trying to defeat.
Thune endorsed Paxton on the heels of his victory against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that Republicans need to “pivot” if they hope to win Texas in November.
As an incumbent, Cornyn had Thune’s backing and advanced to Tuesday’s runoff with the help of tens of millions spent by allied groups. The support was not enough to keep Cornyn in office, however, and Paxton, aided by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump, ran away with the primary vote on election night, defeating Cornyn by 28 points.
Paxton will now face state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, in the general election.
“Ken Paxton is our nominee heading into November, and we’ve 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,” Thune said.
As of now, polls show Paxton in a tight race with Talarico, and the bitterness of the primary will be difficult to shake. Senate Republicans spent months focusing on Paxton’s ethics scandals, including his 2023 impeachment on corruption charges, and Democrats are preparing to seize on that division.
Some Republicans got an early jump on endorsing Paxton, including Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the No 2. Senate Republican. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), a front-runner to lead the National Republican Senatorial Committee next cycle, was the first to back him.
JAMES TALARICO AND KEN PAXTON COURT THE CORNYN VOTE
Thune, for his part, disclosed that he called Paxton after his victory, though the party is still dealing with the awkwardness, and the NRSC itself has not addressed Cornyn’s loss directly.
It released a Tuesday night statement targeting Talarico but made no mention of either candidate.