Texas has an important Republican primary coming up, with Sen. John Cornyn expected to defend his seat against challengers to his right. No one is more excited than Texas Democrats.
“A primary challenge on the Republican side is always going to be an opportunity for Democrats,” said Luke Warford, founding partner of the Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund, a group in Texas that is trying to help build more Democratic infrastructure. “Because that means Republicans are going to be spending energy and resources fighting themselves and fighting each other instead of focused on trying to win in the general election.”
Democrats are especially excited given the chatter about who that primary challenge could come from: controversial attorney general Ken Paxton. The ally of President Donald Trump has yet to officially declare his candidacy, but it’s an open secret that he has considered it for years, and seemed to forget he hadn’t already done so in a recent interview with the New York Times. Recent polling from Texas Public Opinion Research showed Paxton leading Cornyn by a significant margin in a matchup.