CNN Projects Ken Paxton Win over Cornyn in Texas Runoff

TRANSCRIPT:

SAENZ: "The mood here at Ken Paxton‘s runoff party has really been jubilant as the crowd erupted in cheers and whistles when this race was called for, their chosen candidate. Paxton‘s campaign was feeling incredibly confident heading into tonight, and a big reason why is because President Donald Trump decided to endorse Paxton in that last-minute decision just last week. One GOP source aligned with Paxton telling me that certainly the president‘s endorsement was a big help. But this is a remarkable turn of events for Paxton, who had worked for months to try to court Trump‘s endorsement over Senator John Cornyn. This race really serving as a major test of the president‘s grip on the Republican Party. Paxton has long been popular with the MAGA base here in Texas, and he ran incredibly closely to the president and his agenda throughout the campaign. But Cornyn and many GOP senators have expressed frustration and anxiety about Paxton potentially being the GOP nominee. Until the very fyinal minutes of this campaign, we heard from Senator John Cornyn trying to argue that Paxton‘s personal and legal scandals here in the state, that that would be a liability for Republicans come November. The big question is whether general election voters will, in fact, feel that way. But tonight, Paxton‘s team is feeling very good as they‘ve gotten him across the finish line, and now are looking forward to that general election matchup against James Talarico, the Democratic nominee."