Senator Thom Tillis criticized former President Donald Trump for supporting Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary. During an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Tillis called Trump's decision a "colossal mistake" that could put the Senate seat at risk for Republicans. The race has implications for November’s midterm elections as Paxton now faces Democratic candidate James Talarico, who if elected would be the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since more than 30 years ago. Tillis emphasized that Trump's endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn was an "unforced error" and highlighted Cornyn's strong record compared to Paxton’s series of political scandals.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US Senator Thom Tillis, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, criticized the president's decision to support Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary. This endorsement took place just days before Paxton defeated Cornyn, advancing to face Democratic candidate James Talarico in the general election on November 3rd. Tillis argued that Trump's move was a "colossal mistake" and described it as an "unforced error," suggesting it has put the Senate seat at risk for the GOP. The race had significant implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm federal elections, with Cornyn's defeat allowing Democrats to potentially exploit Paxton's long-standing scandals in their campaign efforts.
Written for “Texas Primary Endorsements Mistake” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
US senator Thom Tillis on Sunday criticized Donald Trump, his fellow Republican, for the president’s support of Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary.
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Tillis → criticize → primary
“He made a colossal mistake,” Tillis, a frequent Trump critic from North Carolina, said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union in reference to the president’s support of Paxton who defeated Cornyn in the May primary.
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who → make → primary
“John Cornyn’s a great member of the US Senate.
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Cornyn → ’ → Senate
Paxton has his challenges,” the retiring Tillis added.
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Tillis → have → challenges
“We would not be spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in Texas if Cornyn had won.”
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Cornyn → spend → Texas
Tillis pointed to the president’s involvement in the contest and described Trump’s decision to back Paxton instead of Cornyn as an “unforced error” that has put the Senate seat at risk for the GOP.
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that → point → GOP
Trump endorsed Paxton just days before the Texas attorney general defeated Cornyn, a four-term senator, and advanced to face Democratic candidate James Talarico, a in the general election on 3 November.
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general → endorse → November
The race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm federal elections.
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race → have → elections
Paxton will now face Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention.
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message → face → attention
If he wins, Talarico would become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in Texas.
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Talarico → win → Texas
When he chose to support Paxton over Cornyn, Trump highlighted the Texas attorney general’s record as a steadfast supporter of the president’s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement.
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Trump → choose → movement
Cornyn had previously said during the 2024 presidential campaign that Republicans should move on from Trump.
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Republicans → say → Trump
In a social media post shortly before the election day, Trump said Cornyn had been “VERY disloyal” to him and implored voters in Texas to “REMEMBER!”
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Cornyn → say → Texas
Paxton, meanwhile, is struggling to overcome a series of political scandals.
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Paxton → struggle → scandals
He was impeached in 2023 after being accused of corruption and later acquitted in a trial in the Texas senate.
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He → impeach → senate
He was also indicted on charges of felony securities fraud, but the case was dismissed after a 2024 pretrial diversion agreement.
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case → indict → agreement
In July 2025, his wife of 38 years, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce “on biblical grounds”, citing adultery.
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wife → file → adultery
Tillis is one of a handful of Republicans to repeatedly break with Trump and publicly criticize the president’s decisions.
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Tillis → break → decisions
In April, he spoke out in defense of the Nato military alliance after Trump said he was “absolutely” considering withdrawing the US from it.
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he → speak → it
“Any president that contemplates attempting to withdraw from Nato is not only fulfilling [Russian leader] Vladimir Putin and [Chinese premier] Xi Jinping’s greatest dreams but would be undermining America’s own national security interests,” Tillis said at the time.
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Tillis → contemplate → time
He also called for then secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem’s resignation after immigration agents killed two US citizens in Minneapolis in January, calling her leadership “a disaster” during the last Senate hearing before her firing.
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agents → call → firing
Tillis was one of a small number of Republicans on Thursday to vote in favor of a Democrat-led war powers resolution that aimed to end the US war with Iran.
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that → vote → Iran
Despite gaining some Republican support, the proposal failed to pass in the Senate by a 49-50 vote.
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proposal → gain → vote
The Aporia
