Trump-backed Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate primary

A career of legal warfare and scandal

Paxton, 63, has served as Texas Attorney General since 2014. He previously served in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate beginning in 2002. A psychology and law graduate, he worked as a lawyer before entering politics and founded a church with his wife, with whom he has four children.

His tenure as the state's top lawyer has been defined by hardline conservative legal activism. Paxton repeatedly sued the federal governments of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, including challenges to the Affordable Care Act. He pursued aggressive immigration policies, opposed abortion rights, and fought against LGBTQ protections.

But Paxton's career has also been shadowed by years of legal and ethical turmoil. He has been indicted on charges of securities fraud and abuse of office, and has faced allegations of bribery, nepotism, and corruption. A friend and major donor helped Paxton, and in return Paxton provided political and legal assistance to that donor, according to the allegations.

Trump's loyalty purge reshapes the GOP

His marriage ended following an extramarital affair that was linked to the corruption allegations. Paxton also faced an impeachment proceeding in the Texas House, where numerous party colleagues voted in favor of impeachment, but he ultimately survived the vote.

Trump's intervention in the Texas race is part of a broader purge of Republicans he considers disloyal. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana both lost their primaries after Trump pushed for their removal. Well-connected politicians in Texas, Kentucky, and Louisiana have fallen when they were not perceived as sufficiently loyal to the former president.

The outcome has alarmed many Republicans who fear Paxton's scandals will deter voters in the fall. The party has lost three Senate seats in recent years because Trump backed loyal but controversial candidates, and strategists worry Texas could be next.

Democrats eye a historic opening

Democrats see an opportunity. Their candidate, James Talarico, will face Paxton in November. Texas has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than sixty years, but the party believes the scandals surrounding Paxton make the seat competitive.

The stakes extend far beyond Texas. If Democrats gain three Senate seats in the midterms, they would achieve a majority in the upper chamber. It is considered highly probable that Democrats will win a majority in the House of Representatives, meaning control of Congress hangs in the balance.

Republican incumbents who lost to Trump loyalists will remain in Congress until next January. Last week, Senators adjourned early for a one-week recess without completing their business, after some Republican members blocked finance bills because they opposed a planned fund for what they called 'victims of justice under Biden'.

The Texas Senate race now becomes one of the most closely watched contests in the country, with the potential to tip the balance of power in Washington.