“Talarico v. Paxton is going to be a straight up religious argument between Christianity as a religion of love for neighbor and Christian authoritarianism. There’s not been a public theological contest like this since the Scopes Monkey trial.”
That’s the immediate assessment of Diana Butler Bass moments after the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas was called tonight. And she’s spot on.
Mark Wingfield
First, do not miss the fact that Cornyn, a sitting U.S. senator who never has lost an election, was defeated in a primary — maybe because President Donald Trump endorsed his opponent but also maybe not. And the incumbent senator was trounced by a nearly two-to-one margin.
Let’s pause here to make a case once again for term limits. Cornyn has represented Texas in the Senate 24 years. That’s too long for anyone to hold that much political power. And it’s more than double the average term of service of all modern U.S. senators — which most often serve two terms.
Second, understand that what Trump wanted with his last-minute endorsement of Paxton is exactly what Texas Democrats needed most to happen.
“What Trump wanted with his last-minute endorsement of Paxton is exactly what Texas Democrats needed most to happen.”
Hear the words of Sen. Susan Collins, U.S. senator from Maine: Paxton is “an ethically challenged individual.”
That’s the understatement of the year. The only more ethically challenged candidate would be Trump himself.
The list of Paxton’s transgressions is as long as a gang member’s rap sheet. I’ll not belabor that here, but you can read the list here if you want.
Paxton is a craven, misguided, bullying, lying, cheating, mean-spirited specimen of humanity who would have been removed from office in Texas — except for the interference of Donald Trump, who pressured Texas senators not to convict Paxton after he was impeached by his Republican peers in the state House of Representatives.
Paxton being the Republican nominee makes the path for James Talarico to win the general election even brighter than it already was. It is common here in Texas to hear lifelong Republicans declare if Paxton won the primary, they would vote for Talarico in the general election in November. That’s how much Texas hates Ken Paxton.
Third, remember that Trump’s influence only reaches his Republican base and backfires everywhere else. His endorsement was enough to help Paxton win the primary but will be an albatross around Paxton’s neck in the general election.
“Trump-backed candidates more easily win Republican primaries than they win general elections.”
In Texas as in the rest of the nation, Trump-backed candidates more easily win Republican primaries than they win general elections. In the past, simply being the Republican nominee in Texas was enough to win the general election. But that was before Trump’s second disastrous term in the White House.
Since April 2025, more Texans have said they disapprove of Trump’s record in the White House than approve.
And some of the latest polling shows Talarico with near double-digit leads over either Cornyn or Paxton in the November election. Please understand this: Talarico stood a good chance of winning the election regardless of whether he faced Paxton or Cornyn.
Finally, and most importantly, Paxton’s presence on the ballot makes crystal clear the moral choice Texas voters will face in November.
Even though Robert Jeffress has — predictably — warned of an apocalypse if Talarico is elected, the abject fear in the eyes of Republican leaders nationwide about this one race tells the story. Republicans fear Talarico because they know he’s the first Democratic candidate with a serious chance of unseating them in three decades.
“Paxton’s presence on the ballot makes crystal clear the moral choice Texas voters will face in November.”
Talarico is a squeaky-clean Presbyterian pastor who exhibits the best of the Social Gospel and Left-leaning politics. As Ben Cole and I discuss in a new episode of “Stuck in the Middle with You,” Talarico is part of a renewed wave of Religious Left candidates for public office.
And sorry to say this, because it’s not fair and not right, but because Talarico is a white male he will draw some crossover conservative voters who could push him over the finish line.
Virtually everything Paxton has done as attorney general has been driven by cruelty and revenge and flies in the face of the teachings of Jesus Christ — even though Paxton claims to be a Southern Baptist. Remember that his pastor of record all but endorsed Cornyn over Paxton.
So yes, Diana Butler Bass is right on in her assessment of the Texas Senate race. It will be a “straight up religious argument between Christianity as a religion of love for neighbor and Christian authoritarianism.”
Paxton will get a whole lot of votes from Republicans in November because of their blind support for Trump and authoritarianism. But he’s not likely to get votes from independents and Democrats because he is such an “ethically challenged individual.”
Won’t it be ironic if Trump’s red wall breaks first in Texas because he couldn’t help but endorse the candidate most like himself.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global and is author of Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves.