Trump makes third Texas stop for Ken Paxton as GOP fights to hold Senate seat

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: President Donald Trump on Wednesday, October 7, returned to Texas for his third campaign visit to the Lone Star State in less than a month, rallying behind Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton in San Antonio. 

During the rally, Trump warned that a Democratic majority would “destroy” Texas as Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a closely watched Senate race.

The president’s latest Texas trip came less than a week after his last stop in the state and is part of an aggressive midterm rallying that has taken him to traditional red strongholds he overwhelmingly won two years ago, including Alabama, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Trump returns to Texas as Ken Paxton faces tight Senate race

Trump appeared alongside Paxton and Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz at a San Antonio rally as the GOP seeks to hold the Texas Senate seat. The Lone Star State has long been a Republican stronghold, with Trump carrying the state by more than 13 points in 2024 and Democrats having failed to win a statewide office there since 1994.

Republicans have poured millions of dollars into Paxton’s campaign. Trump’s MAGA Inc super PAC has committed $10 million to Paxton, including $5 million for negative advertising against Talarico and $5 million for positive advertising supporting Paxton.

Paxton has nevertheless faced questions over his relationship with Trump after audio recordings emerged in which he appeared to criticize aspects of the president’s campaign strategy and agenda. In one recording, the Texas attorney general seemingly discussed the impact of the Iran war and high gas prices on his campaign, saying that “I don’t make the decisions, and I don’t … know what’s behind some of the decisions.”

Paxton's campaign defended the remarks, saying he was highlighting economic concerns facing Texans while adding that Trump “is doing everything he can to bring prices down.”

Trump and Ken Paxton's relationship faces scrutiny

In the leaked recordings, Paxton was also reportedly heard criticizing Trump’s Dallas midterm convention, saying that “so to be honest with you, the numbers, when we did that convention, it dropped our numbers.” 

Trump has continued to campaign for Paxton despite their occasionally tense exchanges. Last week, he called Paxton “greatest attorney general in the United States” while also describing him as “a pain sometimes.” Trump has also mocked Paxton’s appearance, saying at the Dallas convention, “Some may not like the way he dresses,” before adding, “I don’t.”

Paxton is facing Talarico in a race that has attracted significant national attention because of potential implications for Republican control of the Senate. Republicans have already spent heavily on the contest, with the race among the most expensive Senate contests of the cycle.

Talarico has also become a target of Trump’s attacks. The president has repeatedly referred to the Democratic candidate as “Tala-freako” and called him “one of the worst candidates I have ever seen.” However, Talarico responded by selling T-shirts featuring the nickname.

Paxton emphasized the stakes for Republicans, writing in a social media post announcing Trump’s Wednesday rally, “If we lose Texas, we lose America,” as the president continues to make the state a central stop in his midterm campaign schedule.