Paxton’s Texas Senate Win Tests Whether Cornyn Republicans Back Democrat James Talarico in November
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 29
Paxton’s Texas Senate Win Tests Whether Cornyn Republicans Back Democrat James Talarico in November
8 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 29
A day after Ken Paxton beat John Cornyn in Texas’s Republican Senate runoff, some Cornyn backers told a New York Times survey they may vote for Democrat James Talarico or skip the general election.
76-year-old Kirk Bennett of Frisco said he may vote Democratic for the first time, while 84-year-old Neil Beck of Missouri City said he would “hold my nose” and back Talarico.
Those responses underscored how Paxton’s bitter, personal primary fight left some Republicans struggling to unite behind the nominee.
Still, the report cautioned that such reactions were highly unscientific, and many voters in a hyperpartisan climate often return to their party by Election Day or simply stay home.
Can a candidate's character persuade voters to break from long-standing party loyalty in the general election?