President Donald Trump said on Thursday that if Republican Ken Paxton loses the Texas Senate race to Democrat James Talarico, it would be the fault of Sen. John Cornyn and conservative commentator Karl Rove. Trump accused both of doing everything possible to make it difficult for Paxton to win.
Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 15, 2026
Sources
Reported by 16 outlets
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
President Donald TrumpPresident making statement
Ken PaxtonRepublican Texas Senate nominee and state Attorney General
James TalaricoDemocratic Texas Senate nominee and state Representative
Sen. John CornynIncumbent Republican senator who lost GOP primary to Paxton
Karl RoveConservative commentator
The facts
Trump endorsed Paxton in the GOP primary over four-term incumbent Cornyn.12Stated by 2 sources
Cornyn lost the GOP primary to Paxton by a wide margin after Trump's endorsement.13Stated by 2 sources
Recent polls show Talarico maintaining a lead in low-to-mid single digits over Paxton.1
Cornyn has not endorsed Paxton since losing to him in the May primary.3
GOP spending in the Texas Senate race has topped $370 million, exceeding Democratic spending by nearly $235 million.1
The race is the most expensive of the 2026 cycle, according to AdImpact.1
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Trump Cornyn and Rove are doing everything possible to make it hard for Paxton to win.123
Trump If Paxton loses, it will be because of weak and ineffective political figures like Cornyn and Rove.123
Trump Cornyn and Rove are hurting Texas and the United States.3
Trump Paxton will be a great senator, just like he is a great Attorney General.3
Cornyn Paxton is a lazy campaigner who is poor at fundraising.3
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Trump says 'if Ken Paxton loses' Texas Senate race, blame Cornyn and Karl Rove
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Multiple Texas counties reported record-breaking or significantly higher first-day early voting turnout on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Collin County experienced temporary printer outages at 10 polling locations that were resolved within 90 minutes, while Travis, Harris, and Dallas counties all set or approached midterm election records.
Collin County Election Administrator Kaleb Breaux, Collin County Election Administrator; Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Clerk; David Thomason, Director of the Kozmetsky Center for Civic Engagement at St. Edward's University and 1 more
Hays County voters will choose among candidates for county judge, county district attorney, and Kyle mayor in the Nov. 3 election. Early voting runs Oct. 19-30.
Michelle Gutierrez Cohen, Democratic candidate for Hays County judge, current county commissioner Precinct 2; Geoffrey Tahuahua, Republican candidate for Hays County judge, Dripping Springs City Council member; Liz Sumter Gajdos, Independent candidate for Hays County judge, former county judge 2007-2010 and 5 more
Dallas Young Republicans Secretary Sarah Gardner challenged Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico over his comments on faith during a town hall debate. Gardner argued his policies are out of step with Texas voters' values.
Sarah Gardner, Dallas Young Republicans Secretary; James Talarico, Democratic Texas Senate candidate
Early voting is underway in the 2026 midterm elections. In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and Republican nominee Ken Paxton are campaigning on economic concerns as they focus on the closely watched Senate race.
James Talarico, Democratic Senate nominee; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee; Donald Trump, President, campaigning for Republican candidates
Early voting started in Smith County on Monday, October 19, with long lines reported at The Hub in downtown Tyler. The county reported 5,859 ballots cast in-person and 1,301 mail-in ballots received on the first day, totaling 7,160 votes.
Smith County, county election authority; Smith County Pct. 1 Constable's Office, traffic patrol assistance
Republican incumbent Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham faces Democratic challenger Benjamin Flores in the November 2026 election. Buckingham, a former state senator and physician, has served as land commissioner since 2023. Flores says disaster recovery and transparent land management are priorities.
$nearly $890,000 for campaign funds raised in most recent reporting period
Dawn Buckingham, Republican candidate, incumbent Texas Land Commissioner; Benjamin Flores, Democratic candidate for Texas Land Commissioner
El Paso County reported more than 22,000 ballots cast on the first day of early voting for the 2026 midterm election, a 90% increase over 2022, the second highest on record for an El Paso midterm. Dallas County reported 76,079 voters on the first day of early voting, exceeding the county's previous opening-day record.
Lisa Wise, El Paso County Elections Administrator; Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Judge
Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico did not attend a Monday rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders in El Paso, instead holding campaign events hundreds of miles away in North Texas as his race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton entered its final weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate; Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator who headlined rally