Could Trump be dragging down the Republican Party to such a degree that Texas is in play?
That is the question both Democrats and Republicans are asking themselves as the Republican runoff for the U.S. Senate seat nomination drags on, and the president continues not to endorse either Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton.
PoliticusUSA is non-partisan and not beholden to any political party or special interest. Support us by becoming a subscriber.
Semafor reported that Trump’s dawdling is costing the Republican Party tens of millions of dollars:
“We could have tens of millions of dollars being spent in a runoff in Texas and then have the added risk of whatever gets said as fodder for the Democrat marketing department,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Semafor. “Primaries get ugly. Runoffs get even uglier.” He and other Republicans warned a Paxton victory would require so much general election money it could deprive candidates in other battlegrounds this fall.
The stakes are massive for Republicans because they are still spending money on a runoff, where the winner, if it is Paxton, might require another $100-$200 million to keep him competitive in the general election.
In terms of what the general election might look like, we are getting our first very early insights from a new PPP Poll.
The big takeaway from the poll is that it doesn’t matter who wins the Republican runoff. The election is going to be close, and it gives Democrats their best chance of flipping a Senate seat in Texas since Beto O’Rourke challenged Sen. Ted Cruz.
Keep reading to see the one number that should worry Republicans the most.
