Ken Paxton and John Cornyn remain in the GOP Senate runoff after the withdrawal deadline passed, setting up a costly and competitive race.
The deadline to leave the GOP Senate runoff passed without either candidate dropping out, despite earlier signals from former President Donald Trump. Political analysts say a withdrawal is still possible, but unlikely, setting up a costly and competitive race.
The outcome could have broader implications for the general election. NBC 5’s Allie Spillyards has more. Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline passed with neither Attorney General Ken Paxton nor Sen. John Cornyn removing their names from the GOP Senate runoff ballot. At one point, President Donald Trump said he would endorse one candidate and ask the other to drop out, but that has not happened.“What comes next is anyone’s guess. There are a ton of political maneuvers happening behind the scenes, both between Senator John Cornyn, President Trump, Attorney General Ken Paxton,” said NBC 5 political reporter Phil Prazan. Prazan said a candidate could still opt out, allowing the Republican Party, rather than voters, to choose its nominee.In this case, Prazan said that the outcome is unlikely, even as the runoff could have broader implications for the general election nationwide. “The national Republicans did not want a runoff because that means that possibly tens of millions of dollars will have to go into Texas to beat up other Republicans when those tens of millions of dollars could have been spent against Democrats in other states that are going to be competitive this year,” he said. “When people in DC are looking at the map and where to move the chess pieces. A really, really expensive runoff election in Texas is not something the Republicans want.”How chaotic is the time we're living through? NBC DFW speaks with two iconic historians Trump could still make an endorsement, with some speculating he may back Cornyn. However, Republican strategist Vinny Minchillo said a runoff could favor Paxton. “Certainly, the people who are the most devout, the most conservative, they are going to come out and vote no matter how many times they have to vote for Ken Paxton. They’re definitely coming out for the runoff, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of intensity, a little less so on the Cornyn side. So the longer this goes on, and the President doesn’t make an endorsement, the better off Paxton is,” Minchillo said. He said if Paxton wins, Republicans could face higher costs to secure the Senate seat in a race against Democratic nominee James Talarico. Both analysts said a prolonged runoff could leave the eventual nominee weakened heading into the general election. “If nobody drops out, this is going to be a fascinating, very mean-spirited race to watch. And who knows what happens, right?” Prazan said.
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