Texans will vote Tuesday in a where incumbent four-term Sen. is facing Texas Attorney General , in an expensive, drawn-out race that has caught President Donald 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 attention.
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 , who he called 鈥榓 true MAGA Warrior,鈥� came late in the race and marked another effort by the president to punish Republican lawmakers he sees as .
The winner of the Republican nomination will run against Democratic state Rep. in November..
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What we鈥檙e watching: the geographic split between Cornyn and Paxton
There wasn鈥檛 a clear geographic divide in the . The tight margins in Houston, Dallas and their surrounding areas underscore how the battle lines cut across, rather than neatly between, Texas鈥� urban and suburban regions.
Cornyn 鈥� whom Paxton attacked as too aligned with D.C. Republicans and not loyal enough to Trump 鈥� led in the state鈥檚 largest counties, including those encompassing the metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Houston. But Paxton remained competitive, trailing by roughly 1,900 votes in Harris County, home to Houston, and 4,100 votes in Bexar County, home to San Antonio. could be decided by who builds a stronger geographic base, particularly in the Houston area, where Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third, outperformed his state average.
A GOP voter who backed Cornyn leans toward supporting Democrat Talarico
Dallas-area contractor Raymond Schramm said Tuesday that he鈥檚 concerned about healthcare and Republican-authored cuts in subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, and he has misgivings about how the war with Iran has been conducted.
He voted for President Donald Trump but thinks the Senate needs someone who will 鈥渉ave a little bit of a difference.鈥� He likes Talarico because he seems kind.
鈥淚 like him. He鈥檚 a nice guy. He speaks well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in the party system.鈥�
Cornyn says 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 attacks on him are misplaced
鈥淢y situation is a little different than Massie鈥檚 or Cassidy鈥檚,鈥� said Cornyn, referencing two other Republican incumbents who were more critical of Trump and recently lost their primaries under pressure from the president and candidates he backed.
In his case, Cornyn said on Fox News Radio鈥檚 The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump is 鈥渇rustrated I think with the Senate as a whole.鈥�
There are 鈥済rifters,鈥� the senator continued, who are 鈥渃laiming I am opposed to the president鈥檚 agenda and I think that鈥檚 caused some confusion with the president himself, but I鈥檝e been supportive.鈥�
鈥榃e might as well start term limits now鈥� for Cornyn, one Dallas-area voter says
Legal assistant Calise Perry considers herself 鈥�100%鈥� Republican and voted Tuesday for challenger Ken Paxton over incumbent Cornyn in Texas鈥� GOP runoff.
The 65-year-old Garland resident said Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is a fighter, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 what we need right now.鈥� The runoff came a week after President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.
鈥淐ornyn鈥檚 been in way too long, and it鈥檚 time for him to retire,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been in office a long time and really hasn鈥檛 done much, as far as I can see.鈥�
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