Republican primary in Texas: Trump's candidate Paxton wins
The contest set a record for the most expensive Senate primary campaign in US history
Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, has won the Republican primary for the US Senate in Texas, defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn with more than 60 per cent of the vote, according to CNN projections. Paxton, backed by President Donald Trump, overturned the first round that saw Cornyn, highly regarded on Capitol Hill, win by about 20,000 votes. Paxton, who will face Dem James Talarico in the midterm elections in November, has been impeached by his own party for corruption. The tycoon, who posted the outcome of the vote on Truth, has new reasons to argue that his candidates are winners.
The tough contest set the record for the most expensive Senate primary campaign in US history. It also sets the stage for a closely watched general election confrontation in November between Paxton and his Democratic opponent, Talarico.
The outcome of this challenge will help determine whether Democrats will be able to regain control of the US Senate for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Many Democrats see Paxton as the weaker of the two candidates and welcome what they believe to be an opportunity to win a Senate seat in a state with a long history of Republican victories.
Paxton, 62, has already begun to focus on the general election challenge, airing TV spots last week in which he attacks his opponent by calling him a left-wing extremist.
Polls indicated a tight race in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.
