Donald Trump lashes out at ‘WEAK and INEFFECTIVE’ Republicans as Ken Paxton sags in Texas polls

The midterms battle between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton is one of the most hotly contested and high-profile Senate races to date. Ordinarily, Paxton would be expected to stroll to victory in deep-red Texas. However, widespread dissatisfaction with the second Trump administration, combined with Talarico’s charisma, has led to a close race.

Now, with just weeks to go before voting day, Talarico is pulling ahead in the polls. The New York Times poll tracker, which aggregates multiple polls, has Talarico firmly ahead by two to six points. Even the Republican pollster Trafalgar Group puts Talarico four points ahead of Paxton.

This is not good news for Donald Trump, who has firmly put his political weight behind Paxton and who rightly sees a Democratic victory in Texas as humiliating for both himself and the Republican Party. Now, perhaps predictably, he’s lashing out.

“Your favorite President (ME!)”

Last night Trump took to Truth Social to slam fellow Republicans for “doing everything possible to make it hard for Ken Paxton, the Greatest Attorney General in the History of Texas, and one of the Best in the United States, to win the upcoming Midterm Election against a Radical Left Lunatic.”

The targets of his ire are John Cornyn and Karl Rove, who Trump says will bear responsibility if Paxton loses: “They are hurting Texas and, more importantly, hurting the United States of America! If Ken Paxton loses, it will be because of WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Political Hacks like John Cornyn and Karl Rove, who have ineffectively opposed me for my entire political career.”

Trump urged voters to remember who their favorite president is and think of him when they cast a vote for Paxton: “Your favorite President (ME!) is asking all of those who supported Senator John Cornyn to UNITE, and immediately switch your support to Ken Paxton. He will be a Great Senator, just like he is a Great Attorney General. We cannot take a chance on having a FREAKO, sometimes referred to as James TalaFREAKO, as our man in Washington, D.C.”

Trump’s insistence on tying Paxton’s fate to how much voters like him is likely to leave Republican strategists with their heads in their hands. Politico reports GOP figures saying Trump’s record-low popularity is hurting Republican chances rather than helping them, quoting one miserably saying: “President Trump has made this election all about himself … Now we have to survive that political storm.”