HOUSTON—Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated long-time Sen. John Cornyn in a record-low GOP primary turnout of less than seven percent of registered voters. Paxton, impeached for criminal activity by his own party, had the backing of twice-impeached President Donald Trump.
Also on display with the election results this week was the devastating effect of Republican gerrymandering in Texas, the intent of which was to eliminate African American, minority, and progressive representatives in Congress.
One of Trump’s most outspoken critics, U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston—author of three unsuccessful impeachment resolutions against Trump—lost an incumbent-versus-incumbent matchup to Rep. Christian Menefee, a former Harris County (Houston) District Attorney. It was the Trump-ordered Texas redistricting that forced the two to compete for the same seat.
Turnout in the Senate primary was less than seven percent of the total Texas electorate. So scandal-scarred Paxton’s 64%-36% primary victory over 24-year incumbent and “traditional” conservative John Cornyn represented less than a 4%-3% win among all Texas voters.
Cornyn himself was by no means any kind of progressive. Although he stopped short of treasonous right-wing activity, his loyal backing of Trump on almost countless issues contributed heavily, in the eyes of observers, to the conditions that resulted in his own defeat.
Labor and its allies are hopeful, however, that Trump may wind up a loser in the fall. Paxton has so much baggage that some of Cornyn’s supporters told Texas media they’ll either sit out November or defect to James Talarico, a moderate-to-liberal state legislator and the nominee of the Democratic Party.
And a U.S Senate win in Texas in turn boosts the chances of ending Trump’s control of the Senate, where vulnerable GOP incumbents or open seats put more than half a dozen races up for grabs, including Texas. With Cornyn, the GOP holds 53 of the 100 Senate seats.
Paxton is one of Trump’s top backers nationally. As Attorney General, Paxton filed lawsuits challenging Trump’s losses in electoral votes in other states in 2020, and often goes to court and wins for Trump overrides of Biden-era federal rules.
But Paxton, a MAGA favorite, may have trouble winning independents and even some Republicans, in “red state” Texas. He was indicted for fraud, his ethical violations led to impeachment by the GOP-run state House, and the discovery of an extramarital affair led his wife to divorce him in the middle of the campaign.
“The most corrupt politician in America just became the Republican nominee for the United States Senate,” Talarico said. “Three years ago, Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party for using his public office to enrich himself and his donors at the expense of the people. That kind of corruption is the rot at the core of this broken system.”
Paxton’s win continued Trump’s hold on the GOP, which many argue has turned into a Trump cult. Cornyn was the second veteran Senate Republican in three weeks who had crossed swords with Trump and became a victim of his revenge.
The first, Louisiana Bill Cassidy, voted to convict Trump for his role in aiding and abetting the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection. Trump, known for his vindictiveness, never forgave and never forgot. Cassidy finished a poor third, behind two Trump backers in the Louisiana GOP primary for a “safe” Republican seat.
Before Cassidy, Trump recruited challengers to seven Indiana state senators whose votes blocked his redistricting scheme there. Five of the challengers won.
And last year, the prospect of a Trump-backed challenger pushed Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to retire, opening what had been a safe seat. Now, term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has a wide lead in that race over GOP nominee Michael Whatley.
In Houston, veteran Rep. Green, 78, a prominent and outspoken Trump foe, lost to fellow incumbent Christian Menefee, 38, a former District Attorney who’s been a U.S. House member only since February after winning a special election for a vacant seat.
The new district, both were forced to run in, thanks to the Trump-ordered redistricting, contained more of the voters from Green’s old seat. But the remap, a voter desire for generational change—a top Menefee theme—and $4 million in anti-Green campaign ads from cryptocurrency interests did Green in.
In a very light turnout, he lost the runoff by double-digit percentages. The new, compressed district is rated safely Democratic.
The Texas AFL-CIO and the Harris County (Houston) AFL-CIO both endorsed Menefee.
Among the major backers of Ken Paxton in the primary were the Christian Nationalist organizations in Texas.
Daniel Hayworth, a pastor at a church in Central Texas, is Paxton’s son-in-law. On the night of the election, he led “prayers” at a watch party for Paxton. The prayer said, “We ask that your hand of blessing would be upon the campaign as they continue on to fight against James Talarico, who twists your word and spits upon your name.”
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
