Blame is on Cornyn, Karl Rove 'if Ken Paxton loses,' Trump says
US President Donald Trump (L) listens as Republican candidate for US Senate Ken Paxton speaks at a campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas, on October 7, 2026. Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton is in a close race with Democr
President Donald Trump on Thursday said Sen. John Cornyn and Republican political strategist Karl Rove were "doing everything possible to make it hard" for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to win the upcoming U.S. Senate election.
What they're saying:
On Truth Social, Trump said the pair should "be ashamed of themselves" and that they are "hurting Texas."
"If Ken Paxton loses, it will be because of WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Political Hacks like John Cornyn and Karl Rove, who have ineffectively opposed me for my entire political career," Trump said.
Trump calls for former Cornyn supporters to rally behind Paxton
Paxton defeated Cornyn in a primary runoff in May after receiving Trump's endorsement. Since then, Cornyn has not appeared with or campaigned for Paxton. In August, Cornyn called the attorney general a "poor campaigner" and "lazy" in an interview with the Texas Tribune.
Trump called on voters who supported Cornyn during the primary to "immediately switch" to supporting Paxton. A Fox News poll from Oct. 2 shows that around 20% of voters who supported Cornyn during the primary now say they are supporting Talarico.
What they're saying:
"We cannot take a chance on having a FREAKO, sometimes referred to as James TalaFREAKO, as our man in Washington, D.C., representing the magnificent people of the Great State of Texas!," Trump said on Truth.
Rove, a former advisor to President George W. Bush, said during September's Texas Tribune Festival that if Cornyn had won the primary, he would easily defeat Talarico in the Senate race.
Rove did not say if he would vote for Paxton.
What's next:
Early voting begins Oct. 19 in Texas. Recent polling has shown Talarico with a slight lead over Paxton in the U.S. Senate race. A Democrat has not won a statewide election in more than 30 years.
The Source: Information in this article comes from comments made by President Trump on Truth Social. Information on the Texas Senate race comes from previous Fox Local reporting. Comments made by Sen. John Cornyn and Karl Rove come from interviews conducted by the Texas Tribune.