Trump endorsement 'most powerful force in politics', says Paxton after runoff victory
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Texas attorney-general Ken Paxton stated that Donald Trump’s endorsement is “the most powerful force in politics” following his comfortable victory in the Republican nomination for the Senate last night.
Paxton defeated four-term senator John Cornyn in the latest contest where former president Trump sought to unseat an incumbent he considered insufficiently loyal, according to AP.
Trump endorsed Paxton, describing him as a “true MAGA warrior,” with Paxton’s runoff win making Cornyn – first elected to the Senate in 2002 – the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party’s nomination for reelection.
“When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen,” Paxton said. “President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics.”
Cornyn’s defeat followed primaries this month where Trump successfully backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who had displeased him in Louisiana, Kentucky, and Indiana, demonstrating his continuing influence among primary voters.
“After a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins, tonight we’ve come up short in this primary runoff,” Cornyn said shortly after the race was called. “I’ve always supported the GOP ticket. I intend to do so again this general election.”
The race carries significant implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm elections, where Paxton will now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has garnered considerable attention. If victorious, Talarico would become the first Democrat in over 30 years to win statewide office in Texas.
Christian Menefee defeats Al Green in Texas’s redrawn 18th congressional district
Christian Menefee defeated Al Green to represent Texas’s newly redrawn 18th congressional district. Green, 78, had served 11 terms as a Democrat and was known as one of Donald Trump’s top critics, being the first member of Congress to call for Trump’s impeachment as early as 2017. Menefee, 38, began serving in Congress earlier this year after winning a special election. The two Democrats competed against each other in this year’s election following Republican-led redistricting that altered their home districts near Houston.
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Donald Trump will host the 12th cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday as negotiations to end the nearly three-month war with Iran reach a critical phase amid mixed signals about the proximity of an agreement.
The meeting was initially scheduled to take place at Camp David, the presidential retreat known for hosting sensitive Middle East negotiations, including the historic Israeli-Egyptian peace accords.
However, Trump relocated the meeting back to the White House, citing adverse weather forecasts.
“Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David,” he posted on his Truth Social platform. Heavy rain was expected in the area on Wednesday.
The original decision to hold the meeting at Camp David had attracted attention, as Trump had visited the retreat in Maryland, located 62 miles northwest of Washington, much less frequently than most of his predecessors.
Veteran Texas congressman Al Green defeated in Democratic primary runoff
Christian Menefee, a freshman Democratic US representative, defeated veteran congressman Al Green on Tuesday in a competitive runoff resulting from Republican gerrymandering.
Last year, the Republican-controlled Texas legislature introduced a congressional map designed to increase GOP seats. The party had urged lawmakers to protect their congressional majority.
Under the new map, Green’s reliably Democratic ninth district was effectively dismantled. He announced his candidacy for the 18th district in November.
Menefee was sworn into the seat in January after winning a special election to replace the late US representative Sylvester Turner.
During the campaign, Green accused Menefee of being aligned with “Trump crypto cronies,” linking him to big-money politics, according to Houston Public Media.
Green’s objections to the redistricting have attracted national attention in recent years.
In February, Green was ejected from the president’s State of the Union address after displaying a sign reading “Black people aren’t apes!” This was in response to Trump sharing a racist AI-generated image depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as simians.
