Senate GOP leaders worked for months to stop the slow-motion train wreck of their Texas primary.
First, they spent millions of dollars on an expensive TV ad blitz designed to boost incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Then they tried to avoid a three-way primary with Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas).
None of it worked.
Despite tens of millions in spending to rehab Cornyn’s standing with conservative voters, Paxton remains, at worst, neck-and-neck with the incumbent. Other polls show Paxton with a more significant lead among primary voters.
And after months of trashing Hunt publicly and privately — as well as a concerted pressure campaign to cut off his donors — Senate leadership couldn’t get him out of the Senate race.
Here’s Senate Majority Leader John Thune on their conundrum:
“Obviously we’re looking at preserving and protecting our majority here. We think that John Cornyn’s not only an incredibly effective senator but is the best general election candidate. And it would save everybody a lot of money if he’s the nominee. So that’s been our view, is our view. It’s gonna be up to the voters in Texas.”
Now the GOP fight will drag on even longer, likely past the March primary and into a May runoff.
By the time Texas’ filing deadline came on Monday, it was clear the three Republicans were solidly dug in.
Democrats. Things are complicated on the Democratic side, too.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) kicked off her Senate campaign Monday with a launch video that featured audio of President Donald Trump trashing her. Trump won Texas by nearly 14 points in 2024.
Crockett has made a name for herself as a hardline progressive during her House tenure. Crockett once derided Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “Governor Hot Wheels,” a comment for which she later refused to apologize. Crockett has also picked feuds with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and others. This has made Crockett very popular on the left, but it’s unclear how it will play statewide.
Republicans said they were excited about the possibility of facing Crockett in the general election.
“I think she wins the Democratic primary, and she is the worst possible candidate they could have in Texas,” Cornyn said. “She’s unelectable.”
Crockett’s entry into the race also set off a chain reaction among Texas Democrats. Former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) dropped out of the Senate primary and launched a run for the 33rd District.
That puts Allred in a contest with Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas), his congressional successor. This is already on track to be an acrimonious primary.
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) currently holds the 33rd District, but he planned to pivot to Crockett’s 30th District since she was running for Senate.
But Frederick Haynes III, a prominent pastor from a Dallas church, filed for Crockett’s seat. Veasey shifted and filed to run for Tarrant County judge instead of seeking reelection to Congress. Veasey’s home is in Fort Worth and this move could make Veasey the chief executive of his home county.
So for a moment, it seemed like all incumbent Texas Democrats would have a seat to run in thanks to Crockett’s Senate bid and the vacancy in the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner’s district.
But now Johnson is facing a challenge from a popular former member and Veasey is exiting Congress.
