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Blame game explodes in Texas after total GOP midterms wipeout: Now Ken Paxton turns on Trump… as insider says: ‘Any cowboy can figure out what really happened’
Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas’s US Senate race, ending nearly 40 years of Republican control of the seat. A Paxton campaign aide blamed President Donald Trump for hurting the campaign and disrupting an event intended to reach female voters, while Paxton conceded graciously.
The aide argued that anger towards Republicans in Washington would have sunk any Republican candidate, including incumbent John Cornyn, and pointed to other Republican losses in Texas, including Governor Greg Abbott. Talarico received 55.1 per cent of the vote, or 5,445,121 votes, compared with Paxton’s 43 per cent, or 4,249,752. Paxton’s record, including his 2023 impeachment by the Texas State House over allegations such as bribery and abuse of public trust, may also have affected the result.
In short
- James Talarico won Texas’s Senate race with 55.1 per cent of the vote.
- A Paxton aide said Trump hurt the campaign and disrupted an event.
- Paxton’s scandals and impeachment may have weighed on his candidacy.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A Paxton supporter could argue that the result reflected broader anger at Republicans in Washington and that Trump’s interventions, including disrupting an event aimed at women voters, made it harder for Paxton to reach voters. The aide’s point that other Republican candidates also lost in Texas supports the view that the national political climate, rather than Paxton alone, was a major factor.
The case against
A critic could argue that the scale of Talarico’s victory points to voters rejecting Paxton himself, whose record included a 2023 impeachment by the Texas House over allegations including bribery and abuse of public trust. Trump’s role may have hurt the campaign, but it does not establish that Paxton would have lost regardless; the result could reflect both his own vulnerabilities and the wider political climate.
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