Texas Senate Race: Everyone Is Edging Away from Ken Paxton

Say, what’s happening over in the Texas Senate race? What’s that horrid smell filling the room? Never smelled that before, at least not in the Lone Star State. Ah, now I realize why: That’s the stench of potential electoral doom, something unfamiliar to the Texas GOP since 1994 — and it is now wafting off of Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton in the most unseemly of ways.

I have been writing about the Senate race in Texas, and warning in vain against the nomination of Ken Paxton (the spectacularly corrupt, vaguely amphibious-looking state attorney general) for the seat, for well over a year. His vulnerabilities, particularly in a year of epic backlash, were simply too risky to cashier a respected incumbent (and guaranteed winner) — like trading your car for a Powerball lottery ticket.

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.

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Say, what’s happening over in the Texas Senate race? What’s that horrid smell filling the room? Never smelled that before, at least not in the Lone Star State. Ah, now I realize why: That’s the stench of potential electoral doom, something unfamiliar to the Texas GOP since 1994 — and it is now wafting off of Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton in the most unseemly of ways.

I have been writing about the Senate race in Texas, and warning in vain against the nomination of Ken Paxton (the spectacularly corrupt, vaguely amphibious-looking state attorney general) for the seat, for well over a year. His vulnerabilities, particularly in a year of epic backlash, were simply too risky to cashier a respected incumbent (and guaranteed winner) — like trading your car for a Powerball lottery ticket.

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.