Trump’s endorsement – A last-minute push for attorney general Ken Paxton in Texas has set off worries inside Republican ranks—about November electability, midterm spending priorities, and whether the Senate can stay aligned with Trump’s agenda.
For a White House that has spent weeks preparing for the next stretch of political fights, Tuesday’s move landed like a shockwave: President Donald Trump threw his support—one week before the filing mattered most—behind attorney general Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary runoff.
The president’s endorsement came in the Senate primary runoff in Texas, backing Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn. The primary is on May 26, and Trump’s strategists are already bracing for fallout that could ripple far beyond Texas. Internally. the decision timing caught some of Trump’s own aides by surprise. according to details provided about the White House’s internal dynamics.
On Truth Social, Trump said he was backing Paxton because the candidate has “gone through a lot.” It’s an understatement for a career now crowded with controversy.
In 2023, Paxton faced impeachment charges. In 2024. he took a plea deal and paid roughly $300. 000 in restitution—without admitting guilt—to avoid a felony securities fraud trial. In 2025. he was accused of adultery by his wife. who filed for divorce on “biblical grounds.” And in the years leading up to the endorsement. Paxton faced a yearslong federal grand jury investigation into his alleged misuse of office; the DOJ closed that investigation without charges in the last weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Those facts create a political problem even if Paxton wins. Many in Washington now expect that Trump’s endorsement could help him defeat Cornyn. But if Republicans lose control of the narrative—if Paxton becomes too tied to a MAGA framing that voters find objectionable—some fear Democrats will be more energized in November. viewing Paxton as easier to beat than Cornyn.
The money question is just as sharp. If the Democratic candidate James Talarico can match the kind of fundraising surge seen in 2018. when Beto O’Rourke posted big fundraising numbers from small-dollar donors. Republicans may have to spend more than they wanted. That spending increase would come at the cost of other races, including vulnerable Republican contests.
Even before November arrives, there’s a second countdown. After Tuesday’s endorsement, the White House now has to consider whether Trump’s move will upend Senate dynamics for the next six months until the midterms.
That worry isn’t theoretical. Senator Bill Cassidy, apparently furious after losing his Louisiana primary last week, has already started making clear his opposition to the president’s legislative priorities. The fear inside Republican circles is that Cornyn may follow Cassidy’s lead.
“It is short-sighted thinking,” says a Republican strategist who worked on the Trump 2024 campaign. They spoke on the condition of anonymity and argued that Cornyn has been a reliable vote on big issues, adding that Trump risks Senate battles.
The stakes are raised by math. With a slim 53-47 Senate majority, it would take only two disaffected Republicans—on top of Cassidy and Cornyn—voting with Democrats to block Trump from using congressional funds to pay for his ballroom or further military action in Iran.
And then there’s the internal drama that comes with any reshuffling of power inside Trump’s political orbit. In Texas, Trumpworld is also watching what happens behind the scenes if Paxton’s win redraws alliances.
Trump’s 2024 campaign co-chief Chris LaCivita and 2024 pollster Tony Fabrizio both work on Cornyn’s campaign. Within minutes of Trump’s Paxton endorsement, LaCivita’s longtime nemesis Corey Lewandowski posted on X declaring the Cornyn campaign to be dead.
The White House declined to comment on which races it was following, and referred WIRED to the president’s Paxton endorsement.
While Texas runs on its own timetable, Trumpworld isn’t ignoring the next one. As the White House tracks the final week of campaigning in Texas. some campaign strategists say they are also keeping an eye on the California gubernatorial primary scheduled for June 2. The interest has been mostly academic in Trump circles because they expect the seat to remain solidly Democratic.
Still, California’s rules make the outcome worth watching: the state uses a primary system where the two top candidates—regardless of their party—advance to the general election in November.
Donald Trump Ken Paxton John Cornyn Senate primary runoff Texas May 26 Truth Social MAGA Bill Cassidy Senate majority 53-47 Corey Lewandowski Chris LaCivita Tony Fabrizio California gubernatorial primary June 2 James Talarico Beto O’Rourke