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If Democrats expect to flip a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, they’ll need all the stars to align. This almost never happens, because politics has a way of scrambling the constellations. But on Tuesday, the first star blinked on.
I’m referring to state Rep. James Talarico’s victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary. Most political prognosticators agree that Talarico, an eloquent young Democrat who speaks openly about his Christian faith, is their best hope in a red state that Donald Trump won by 14 points.
The second star was Crockett’s conciliatory concession — far from a foregone conclusion after a nasty primary — in which she pledged to “do my part,” adding that “Texas is primed to turn blue, and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.”
The third star — a vulnerable Republican opponent — has not yet appeared over the Texas sky, although forecasters say it might.
Most observers agree that scandal-plagued Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton would be beatable in the general election, while incumbent Sen. John Cornyn would present a much tougher challenge. Cornyn is the kind of steady, conventional politician who tends to win elections, and so, of course, modern voters are extremely suspicious of him.
In the GOP primary on Tuesday, Cornyn’s 42% share of the vote edged out Paxton by about a point. Unfortunately for Republicans, neither candidate garnered enough votes to avoid a May 26 runoff election.
Conventional wisdom suggests that when a majority of Republican voters choose someone other than the incumbent in the first round of voting, an even greater majority will inevitably break toward the challenger in the runoff. If that happens, Paxton would become the nominee, and Democrats would get their third star to align.
Even better for Democrats — a fourth star, so to speak — would be for this protracted runoff to become a “knife fight,” as one Texas Republican predicted, in which Paxton staggers out of the fight as the battered GOP nominee.
The only problem is that Republicans can see these stars aligning, too.
And while the Texas Senate seat matters a lot on its own, it matters even more in the context of nationwide midterm elections, in which a Texas win would help Democrats take back the Senate.
Enter the cavalry — or, more accurately, President Trump, who is now entering a second war in the span of a week, this one a civil war in the Lone Star State.
The day after the primary, Trump announced that he would be “making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”
Reports suggest Trump may endorse Cornyn in order to save the seat for Republicans. But who knows? Trump is famously unpredictable. And it’s likely he admires Paxton’s ability to survive scandals that would have caused most normal politicians to curl up in the fetal position. As they say, “game recognizes game.”
Whomever he backs, conventional wisdom also says Trump should make his endorsement “soon,” as he promised. That would save Republicans a lot of time and money. But Trump currently has enormous leverage. Right now, people are coming to him, pleading for his support.
Do you think he wants to resolve that situation quickly?
Me neither.
With Trump, you never know what you’re going to get. In 2021, he helped torpedo Republican Senate candidates David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in Georgia, handing Democrats control of the Senate. The following year he backed football legend Herschel Walker in another Georgia Senate race, which did not exactly work out great. Democrat Raphael Warnock won and holds that seat, though Walker is now ambassador to the Bahamas so that’s something.
This is to say: Trump’s political assistance does not always assist.
It’s unclear whether Trump’s endorsement would be dispositive — and whether he could muscle the other Republican out of the primary race.
Paxton, for example, initially vowed to stay in the race, no matter what. (He later suggested he would “consider” dropping out if the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, a bill to require proof of citizenship to vote.)
There’s also this: Trump’s endorsements tend to either be made out of vengeance or to pad the totals of an already inevitable winner, so his track record is probably overrated.
Case in point: While most of his endorsed candidates won their Texas elections, his endorsed candidate for agriculture commissioner lost reelection. And according to the Texas Tribune, “at least three Trump-endorsed candidates for Congress were headed to runoffs, one of them in a distant second place.”
Another issue is that Cornyn needs more than a perfunctory endorsement: He needs a clear, full-throated endorsement.
In a 2022 Missouri Senate race, Trump endorsed “ERIC,” which was awkward because two candidates named Eric were running.
More recently, he endorsed two rival candidates in the same 2026 Arizona gubernatorial race — like betting on both teams in the Super Bowl.
This is all to say that the only thing standing between Texas Democrats and a rare celestial alignment may be the whims of the Republican Party’s one and only star.
Sure, establishment Republicans can beg Trump to quickly step in and settle the race, and maybe he will. But it’s entirely possible the president will find a way to blow up his party’s chances for holding the U.S. Senate — and there’s nothing they can do to stop him.
When you’re a star, they let you do it.
Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”
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Ideas expressed in the piece
James Talarico’s victory in the Democratic primary represents a significant breakthrough for the party’s prospects in Texas, as he is viewed as the strongest Democratic candidate to appeal to moderate and swing voters in the conservative state.[1] Talarico’s ability to communicate his progressive policy agenda through religious rhetoric and his cross-party appeal distinguishes him from his opponent and positions him as a viable general election candidate.[2][3] The favorable dynamics for Democrats have been further strengthened by Representative Jasmine Crockett’s gracious concession speech, which emphasized party unity rather than divisiveness, demonstrating that the brutal primary contest did not permanently fracture Democratic support.[1] The Republican nominee selection remains uncertain, with scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton presenting a more vulnerable opponent for Democrats compared to incumbent Senator John Cornyn, who represents a more conventional and formidable challenger.[1] The extended GOP runoff in May could further damage the eventual Republican nominee, particularly if the race becomes contentious between Cornyn and Paxton supporters. The decisive factor in the general election may rest with President Trump’s endorsement decision, as his unpredictable involvement could either stabilize Republican chances or create additional turmoil within the party.[1] Trump’s inconsistent track record with endorsements—including his role in undermining Republican candidates in previous election cycles—suggests his intervention may not necessarily benefit the Republican nominee and could potentially cost Republicans the Senate seat.
Different views on the topic
Despite Talarico’s primary victory, significant structural challenges remain for Democrats attempting to win a Senate seat in Texas, a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988 and where President Trump won by substantial margins.[1][2] While Talarico performed strongly in heavily white and Hispanic areas during the primary, political analysts have noted that his campaign faces substantial obstacles in building support among Black voters, a demographic coalition necessary for statewide victory.[1] The bitter nature of the Democratic primary, including debates framed along racial lines and divisive social media campaigns, may have left lingering resentment that complicates party unity efforts heading into the general election.[1] Republican establishment figures maintain confidence that either Cornyn or Paxton would present a sufficiently strong candidate to hold the seat, with Cornyn representing the type of steady, conventional politician who typically wins general elections in conservative-leaning states.[1] Additionally, Texas Republicans have historically maintained structural advantages in voter turnout and organization, and the party’s substantial fundraising capacity provides resources to counter any Democratic momentum generated by the primary turnout surge.[1]
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