Trump to meet Paxton in Washington

Texas Attorney General and newly-minted Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton plans to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday night, according to a person close to Paxton granted anonymity to discuss the meeting.

It will be Paxton’s first in-person meeting with the president since clinching his endorsement and winning the brutal primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn last week.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He’s also spending time on the Hill, looking to shore up relationships with Republican lawmakers, many of whom were supportive of Cornyn and skeptical of Paxton’s candidacy.

The outreach effort comes at a critical moment for Paxton, whose decisive victory over Cornyn underscored Trump’s dominance over the Republican Party, but also exposed divisions. The primary became one of the most expensive and bitter Senate contests in recent memory, with many Republican senators, major donors, and outside groups lining up behind Cornyn.

The Trump meeting comes after the National Republican Senatorial Committee officially embraced Paxton on Monday with the launch of a joint fundraising push.

While Texas is a red state, party leaders have privately acknowledged that Paxton enters the general election with significant baggage after years of legal and ethical controversies that were central to the Cornyn campaign’s attacks during the primary.

Democrats are hoping their candidate, James Talarico, can capitalize on those vulnerabilities, in what will be one of the most closely watched races of 2026. Early polls of the race have shown Talarico with a slight edge in the contest.

المصدر: Politico