Trump urges Cornyn supporters to back Paxton

President Donald Trump urged supporters of Sen. John Cornyn to back Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state’s Senate race, warning that Cornyn and Republican strategist Karl Rove would be to blame if Paxton loses. In a Truth Social post on October 15, Trump said Cornyn and Rove were making it harder for Paxton to defeat Democratic nominee James Talarico. He called on people who had supported Cornyn to unite behind Paxton, who won the Republican primary runoff against Cornyn in May. Trump did not identify a specific action by Cornyn or Rove in the post that he said was harming Paxton’s campaign. His accusation came amid public criticism of Paxton’s candidacy by both men. Cornyn had not endorsed Paxton by October 15, according to reports, and Rove had expressed doubts about Paxton’s prospects. At a Texas event the previous month, Rove said Cornyn would have a better chance of defeating Talarico than Paxton. Paxton had also complained about Cornyn’s lack of support in a leaked audio clip reported the prior week, according to one account. Trump’s post framed the race as a test of Republican unity, arguing that a failure to support Paxton could cost the party the seat. He...