May 27, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in Texas Republican U.S. Senate primary

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated veteran U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff Tuesday, toppling the four-term incumbent in a fierce duel that centered on who was more loyal to President Donald Trump. Paxton will now face off against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November election, setting up what is expected to be one of the most competitive general elections in Texas since the 1990s. During a victory party at his campaign headquarters in Dallas, Paxton described his win as sending “a Texas-sized message to Washington.” And he thanked Trump, who endorsed Paxton midway through early voting after promising to get involved much sooner.

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“We just proved this senate seat doesn’t belong to Washington. It belongs to you the hardworking men and women of our state,” he said. “Tonight is not the end of a campaign. It’s the beginning of the fight to protect every value we hold dear." The outcome also marked what could be the end of a long political career for the 74-year-old Cornyn, who was seeking his fifth term in the U.S. Senate. Early results show Paxton led Cornyn in almost every major county in a race that saw high participation, with early voting returns more than tripling the early ballots cast in 2024. Speaking in Austin on Tuesday night, Cornyn said while his campaign “came up short,” he would support Paxton in the general election in November. “I’ve said throughout this race I trust the voters of Texas,” he said. “They’ve made their decision and I must respect it.” Two of the best-known figures in Texas politics, Paxton and Cornyn had attacked each other mercilessly since the longtime state attorney general launched his campaign to unseat the 74-year-old incumbent last April. The race pitted the state’s more traditional, business-friendly Republicans against Paxton’s grassroots, Make America Great Again supporters, a test for a party under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Cornyn and the super PACs supporting him, including groups led by former Gov. Rick Perry and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, greatly outspent Paxton, with more than $88 million in advertising buys over the past 12 months.

Allred defeats Johnson in runoff, Menefee defeats Green in redrawn U.S. House seats

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred beat incumbent U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson in Tuesday’s runoff for a newly drawn North Texas district in a race that turned the onetime Democratic allies against each other. Vote returns showed Allred besting Johnson by more than 9 percentage points, a victory the Dallas Democrat called a "clear message." "They redrew the maps to make us disappear, but this community showed up anyway and made its voice heard," Allred said in a statement late Tuesday. "That is who we are." The intraparty fight — one of the most closely watched this cycle — for the Dallas-based District 33 stems from a Republican-led redrawing of Texas’ congressional map aimed at maintaining the party’s narrow majority in Washington. Allred, the former NFL linebacker and three-term congressman, previously vacated his seat to run unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2024.

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In another newly drawn seat in Houston, U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee beat U.S. Rep. Al Green, according to a race call by the Associated Press. According to early voting results released by Harris County, where the bulk of the newly redrawn 18th District is located, Menefee received 70.4% of nearly 24,000 votes cast. The district also includes parts of Brazoria and Fort Bend counties. A countywide technical problem in Fort Bend caused voting delays Tuesday. Nonetheless, Menefee’s early voting lead in Harris County was enough for him to declare victory. Back in Dallas, speaking Tuesday evening at their election watch parties, neither Allred nor Johnson treated their race as settled. The Associated Press didn't call the race for Allred until after 10 p.m. Allred addressed reporters and supporters at a local union hall in Old East Dallas about two hours after polls closed. He said his party, going forward, must go about "unrigging” the system, stand with working people and defend the “idea that diversity is a good thing.” Also in Old East Dallas, addressing reporters at Times Ten Cellars, Johnson said her team was waiting for the remaining ballots to be counted. Whatever the outcome, the Farmers Branch Democrat said, she would work to elect other Democrats on the ballot. She also had curt words for the Republican-led redistricting effort that made her current district more favorable to the GOP. "Redistricting is a bitch," Johnson said. “Tonight belongs to the people of this district,” Menefee said in a Tuesday night statement. “You have shown up over and over, and every single time, you have chosen to fight for a better future for our communities. I do not take that for granted for one second. This is your victory, and I will spend every day in Washington making sure it means something.” Green and Menefee were pitted against each other in a rare race between two sitting congressmen. The matchup was a result of the redrawn congressional maps approved by the Texas legislature last year at the behest of President Donald Trump. The left-leaning District 18 was redrawn to include portions of Green's prior district, the 9th Congressional District, pitting Democrat against Democrat.

Oil giant BP ousts new chairman over ‘conduct’ and shares slide

BP has ousted its chairman over what it called serious concerns related to "important governance standards, oversight and conduct." The departure was abrupt and unexpected, with Albert Manifold having been appointed to the position late last year. "Albert has helped bring a welcome focus and pace to BP's transformation,” Amanda Blanc, senior independent director, said in a statement Tuesday. “However, the board has been surprised and disappointed to learn of governance oversight and conduct issues it deems unacceptable and has taken decisive action."

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BP’s board named Ian Tyler as interim chair, effective immediately. BP, based in London with its North American headquarters in Houston, is a "supermajor," one of the five largest oil production and exploration companies in the world when measured by revenue and profit. Manifold, who had been the top executive at Dublin-based global building materials company CRH for 10 years, became the chair at BP in October. BP was looking for someone to revamp the oil giant and went with an industry outsider in Manifold, who had made major strategic changes at CRH. After a new focus on renewable energy at BP in 2020, by 2025 the company was seeking a return to its roots. BP’s hard reset was criticized by environmentalists, as well as some shareholders. CEO Murray Auchincloss said last year that optimism over opportunities in renewable energy was misplaced, with the company moving "too far and too fast." Changes in leadership at BP in recent years has been tumultuous. CEO Bernard Looney resigned in late 2023 after BP determined that he had misled the company over his past relationships with colleagues.

With late lead in runoff for railroad commissioner, Bo French looks toward November

As Bo French held a razor-thin lead in the Republican primary runoff for Texas railroad commissioner, he thanked his supporters and looked toward November after Decision Desk HQ declared him the winner. With 87.62% of polling locations reporting, French had 50.7% of the vote and incumbent Jim Wright had 49.3%. The three-member commission oversees the state’s oil and gas industry. “I am deeply grateful for the support of TX Republicans across our state,” French posted on X at around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night. “Our campaign focused on defending oil and gas, and putting America First—and that’s exactly what I will continue fighting for as we turn our attention to radical Democrat Jon Rosenthal.”

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A spokesperson for Wright’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. French focused his campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and has been a part of a growing section of conservatives warning of a perceived “Islamification” of Texas. He resigned as chairman of the Tarrant County GOP and announced his candidacy in November 2025 in a post on X, where French has made many inflammatory posts. Established in 1891, the Texas Railroad Commission has jurisdiction over the nation’s hub for oil and gas production. In addition to regulating production, the commission also oversees “pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, critical natural gas infrastructure, and coal and uranium surface mining operations,” according to the commission. Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms. Wright is the chairman of the commission. In June 2025, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for French’s resignation as chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party after French made a social media post asking his followers whether Jews or Muslims were the “bigger threat to America.” French deleted the poll, saying “some people clearly misunderstood the intent,” and said he regretted posting it. French and Wright were sent to a runoff after the March 3 primary, in which French received 31.75% of the vote and Wright received 32.1%. The winner of Tuesday’s runoff election will face Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, of Cypress, on Nov. 3.

State Stories

It’s Johnny Garcia vs. Carlos De La Cruz in San Antonio’s highly contested 35th Congressional District

After much hand-wringing and money spent by national Democrats, Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Garcia easily fended off family therapist Maureen Galindo in the expensive, late-breaking primary runoff for Texas’ 35th Congressional District on Tuesday night. Galindo’s controversial views surrounding U.S. involvement in Israel thrust the little-watched race into the national spotlight — at the same time her low-budget campaign suddenly received a surge of money from Republicans trying to boost a weaker nominee for November. The newly redistricted San Antonio-area seat was meant to cushion Republicans’ razor-thin U.S. House majority this November, with the conservative Texas Legislature drawing themselves what looked to be a slam dunk.

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But Democrats have been winning some races in red territory since then, and both parties wound up with tougher-than-expected primaries that could affect their chances in November. The new district seemed tailor-made by the Texas Legislature for state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), who flipped a blue Texas House district that’s entirely within TX35’s boundaries. Then the day before polls opened in the March primary, President Donald Trump and House GOP leaders swooped in to endorse retired Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz, whose sister U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg) currently represents some of the district’s more rural parts. Shortly after 9:45 p.m., De La Cruz declared victory in the Republican primary from his party at Retama Park in Selma. He was joined by his mom, sister and daughter.

Michelle Gutierrez Cohen defeats incumbent Ruben Becerra in Hays County judge Democratic runoff

Michelle Gutierrez Cohen has defeated incumbent Ruben Becerra to be the Democratic candidate for Hays County judge in November. Unofficial results from Tuesday's runoff show Gutierrez Cohen, the Precinct 2 county commissioner, received 58.31% of the vote. Becerra received 41.69%. "Hays County has spoken. And the voters are ready for a change," Gutierrez Cohen said on her campaign's Facebook page. "You made a little girl who grew up in Section 8 housing and whose family came to Hays County with the dream of owning land have the honor of becoming a County Commissioner. And now, you are giving me the chance to lead as your County Judge. I will not let you down." Becerra, who has served as Hays County judge since 2019, conceded the race in a text message to KUT News.

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"I ran a campaign entirely on my record, and I'm proud of that record. I'm proud of how I ran my race, and I'm grateful I gave it everything I had and left it all on the field," he said. "And now, I'm at peace seeing the baton passed to someone else." Gutierrez Cohen, who lives in Kyle, has served as Precinct 2 county commissioner since 2022. During that time, she's focused on public health, working to find funding for the county’s mobile vaccine clinic, which offers flu and COVID-19 shots for residents. If elected county judge, Gutierrez Cohen said she hopes to continue working on issues related to public health as well as create a strategic plan to reform criminal justice procedures in the county. She also said she intends to make water use and preservation a priority. Gutierrez Cohen will face Republican Geoffrey Tahuahua in November.

Hubert Vo loses Texas House seat after two decades in office

Longtime state Rep. Hubert Vo lost the Democratic primary for his southwest Houston district on Tuesday, ending his 22-year run as one of the state Legislature's few Asian members. The party’s nominee will instead be Darlene Breaux, the president of the Alief ISD school board, who narrowly beat Vo in the March primary and forced him into a top-two contest. Breaux easily won the runoff on Tuesday, making Vo one of the few Democratic incumbents ousted this cycle, along with Chris Turner of Grand Prairie.

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Upon his election in 2004, Vo was just the third Asian person to join the Texas House and remains the only Vietnamese American elected to the Legislature, often recounting his personal story of fleeing communism in his home country. His district, which includes much of Alief along with parts of Katy, is home to a significant population of Vietnamese immigrants as well as many Black and Hispanic residents. Vo has rarely faced serious challenges, running unopposed in the Democratic primary for eight of his eleven terms. He has touted an expansion of the economic prospects for southwest Houston through his creation of the International District taxing authority, and most recently served as vice chair of the Texas House’s Committee on Insurance. Breaux has served as a school board member since 2017 and picked up endorsements from major Democratic groups, including the Texas AFL-CIO.

Labor activist Adrian Reyna declares victory in Democratic runoff for Texas House District 125

Labor activist Adrian Reyna declared victory after taking a strong lead for the Democratic primary race in Texas House District 125. Reyna has 80.83% percent of the early vote with Michelle Barrientes Vela taking 19.17% Neither took more than half of the vote during an open Democratic primary in March, forcing the two into a rematch Tuesday night. “I look out in this moment, a room full of faces that have been there from my childhood, who are there when I wake up in the morning, who have been there for me every step of the way of this campaign of my entire life,” Reyna said addressing a crowd gathered at Sari Sari, a Filipino restaurant in his district.

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“Let’s finish this thing in November.” The crowd at Sari Sari was full of Reyna’s family, labor activist friends and school coworkers. His parents, who had a major part in shaping Reyna’s path to politics, were also in attendance. The winner on Nov. 3 will replace state Rep. Ray Lopez, 79, a longtime representative of Texas House District 125 who chose to retire this year instead of running for reelection. This district contains a large chunk of San Antonio’s West Side and is considered a Democratic stronghold, even after Republicans went through with redistricting at President Donald Trump’s request to give the GOP more seats. While Democrats in Bexar County outvoted Republicans during the original March primary, they were left without a high-interest statewide race in the runoff. Early voting numbers in Bexar county show fewer voters showed up for the Democratic primary runoff compared to voters in the Republican runoff.

Letitia Plummer wins Democratic Harris County judge nomination

Former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer upset Annise Parker 51% to 49% to win the Democratic nomination for Harris County judge Tuesday, according to unofficial results. On the Republican side, longtime Houston-area politician Orlando Sanchez defeated political newcomer Warren Howell by a wide margin. As the chief executive of the county, the county judge is responsible for managing the Office of Emergency Management and presides over gatherings of Harris County Commissioners Court, which controls funding for infrastructure projects, county departments and elected offices. The Democratic tallies were a marked reversal from March, which saw Parker, a former Houston mayor, come within four points of avoiding a runoff and securing the nomination outright.

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Political experts and Parker herself pointed to turnout driven by a runoff between U.S. Reps. Christian Menefee and Al Green in the 18th Congressional District and voter fatigue elsewhere in the county as factors in the upset. “While I didn't think my opponent could beat me, low turnout absolutely could,” Parker said earlier Tuesday evening during brief remarks to news media at Birdie's Den, where her supporters gathered to watch the results roll in. Plummer’s performance also bucked two polls published by the Hobby School of Public Affairs ahead of the election. Both pegged Parker as having a comfortable double-digit lead. Plummer said Tuesday night that her campaign had "surpassed every single expectation.” “We have done the work, we have met the people where they are, we have listened to what they want, we are giving what they need and we're giving them hope," she told supporters at the Cactus Cove bar in Timbergrove. The Hobby polls showed Parker ahead, but also showed Plummer enjoying more support from Black voters, and these residents played a key role in Tuesday’s outcome, said Michael Adams, a Texas Southern University political scientist. Voters in Congressional District 18, which for decades has been home to many of Houston’s historically Black neighborhoods, repeatedly have fought voter fatigue in their efforts to secure stable representation, Adams said. Parker’s campaign also did not prioritize Black voters in its turnout efforts, he said. “The CD18 race drove the vote — in particular, the Black vote,” Adams said. “I think they turned out in force to support Plummer.” Another factor could be perceptions of Parker as an older, establishment politician, Adams said. Parker served in city government for 18 years, leaving office at the end of 2015. The first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city, Parker built a reputation as a grounded, fiscally responsible Democrat. She centered her campaign on a back-to-basics approach focused on disaster preparedness, financial austerity and a promise to fight back against policies implemented by the Trump administration.

Montserrat Garibay wins Democratic runoff for Austin House seat

Montserrat Garibay has won Texas House District 49's Democratic primary runoff. Incomplete results as of 9:40 p.m. showed Garibay with 61.27% of the vote over Kathie Tovo with 38.73%. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, will vacate the Austin-based seat to run against Gov. Greg Abbott in November. She was first elected to the Central Austin district a decade ago. Tovo congratulated Garibay on her win in a statement. “Congratulations to Montserrat on her victory after a hard fought campaign. I wish her the best,” Tovo said. “I’d like to thank my supporters for their dedication and efforts. Now it is time to focus on defeating Republicans in November.” Early in the evening, Garibay was optimistic at her election watch party at Lima Croilla, a Peruvian restaurant.

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“The block walks, the phone banks, the poll-greeting, and to see the numbers are looking good, we’re excited,” Garibay said. “But, I think it’s an opportunity to reflect, in my opinion, on the fact that when you bring a diverse group of people together, we can really dream big, and I think tonight is an example of that.” Garibay’s supporters crowded into the restaurant, grabbing drinks and Alfajores cookies as early votes trickled in. Chants of “labor for Montserrat” broke out as she took photos with voters and members of her campaign. Tovo’s watch party, hosted at La Mancha Tex-Mex Tavern, had started to disband by 9 p.m. Garibay and Tovo emerged as the two top contenders from a crowded contest in the March primary. Garibay led, but neither candidate received a majority of the votes needed to win outright, forcing them into a runoff.

Julio Salinas, Gary Groves win nominations for House District 41 midterm race

Julio Salinas is the Democratic nominee who will be on the ballot in the Texas House District 41 midterm race in November. Unofficial results show that Salinas carried a majority of votes, totaling 3,349, with 84% of precincts reporting. Haddad received 44% or 2,680 votes. Salinas will go against Republican nominee Gary Groves later this year to determine who will succeed Guerra in the House District 41 seat. The House District 41 race has become one of the more prominent races in South Texas after incumbent Bobby Guerra (D) announced his retirement in October 2025. Guerra has represented House District 41 since 2012. Texas House District 41 represents parts of Mission, McAllen, Edinburg, Pharr, San Juan, and Lopezville.

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Ted Cruz says senators were ‘screaming’ at Todd Blanche during ‘anti-weaponization’ fund briefing

Screaming, yelling and accusations of self-dealing. That’s how Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Friday described a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that’s drawn bipartisan opposition. On his podcast “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” the Texas senator described the meeting as “one of the roughest meetings I’ve seen in my entire time in the Senate.” “Fiery does not begin to cut it,” Cruz said. “My guess is there’re probably 45 senators in the room, at least half of them were blasting the attorney general, and they were pissed.” Senate Republicans met with Blanche on Thursday to discuss the fund, which ultimately derailed a vote on a Republican bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, NBC News previously reported.

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Cruz said several of his GOP colleagues felt that they could not politically defend the fund because it appeared as though President Donald Trump “cut a deal with himself.” “There were multiple senators yelling at the attorney general, saying this feels like self-dealing,” Cruz said. “I got to tell you, the Republican senators were pissed — people were the entire meeting. They were screaming at the acting attorney general, and he was trying to lay out the legal basis,” Cruz said, adding “the legal basis is quite sound.” The Justice Department did not immediately respond to request for comment on Cruz’s characterization of the meeting. The fund was announced Monday after Trump said he would drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, along with other claims of damages related to a 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago and the Russian collusion scandal connected to the 2016 presidential election. Justice Department officials said Monday that the fund came “in exchange” for Trump dropping those claims and would involve a “systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”

‘My voice is not going to go anywhere’: Chip Roy falls in tough AG race

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs) was gunning for a comeback that fell short on Tuesday — sidelining a whip-smart conservative policy architect who Democrats have long feared. This year Roy gave up a safe red congressional seat to run for Attorney General, only to finish a distant second in the primary to self-funding state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) who spent an astounding $15 million on his campaign. A late infusion of cash from a single GOP mega-donor pulled the race back online in the final stretch, but Roy chose to take in the results at a small private gathering where he declared defeat around 9 p.m. on Tuesday. In the final throes of the race Roy traveled the state on a breakneck campaign tour to undo the damage of millions of dollars in attack ads.

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He argued with conservative influencers online, got help from his friends in the House Freedom Caucus and held campaign rallies with many of the conservatives whose careers he’s influenced in his decades of work in Texas Republican politics. By the time he reached San Antonio last Monday, Roy told supporters the efforts appeared to be working. But he stressed the need to get home to Texas regardless of the outcome of the Attorney General race. “I’m one of those who believes we need to cycle through people in Congress,” Roy said. “I’m a husband and a father who needs to be home. … I think I’m doing the right thing.” He also vowed it wouldn’t be the last time voters would hear from him. “Post-cancer, post-surviving stage three Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I’m kind of a ‘put-me-in-coach’ kind of guy, … I can promise you, my voice is not going to go anywhere,” Roy said. Middleton will face Democrat state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas), who won his party’s nomination in a similarly heated — albeit far lower-budget — Democratic primary runoff on Tuesday night. As for Roy’s congressional seat, Republicans have rallied around former MLB Player Mark Teixeira as their nominee to Texas’ deep red 21st Congressional District.

Wall Street Journal Editorial: The Ken Paxton Republicans

Republican voters in Texas on Tuesday chose Ken Paxton as their Senate nominee, and now they can spend $100 million or more trying to salvage the seat and keep their Senate majority in November. The Texas Attorney General rode a last-minute endorsement from President Trump to defeat incumbent John Cornyn, a stalwart but softer-spoken conservative. Mr. Paxton is known for his polarizing style, ethical travails and lousy political judgment, but he won over Mr. Trump with his fealty and bombast. Mr. Paxton represents the serrated edge of the Texas GOP, for which “owning the libs” is the highest political value. He’s a conservative culture warrior on gender and race. But when it comes to economics, he’s staked out a record of anti-business populism that is little different from that of progressive Democrats.

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Most notably, he’s in bed with the trial bar, and it’s not a one-night-stand. The Texas Tribune reported last year that Mr. Paxton’s AG office has approved 13 contingency-fee contracts with plaintiff firms. The firms are hired to bring cases against businesses that often settle to avoid costly and long-term litigation. In 2024 Meta, the Facebook parent, settled a Paxton lawsuit for $1.4 billion even as it described the suit as without merit. The Texas Tribune says Keller Postman, a plaintiff-law partner of Mr. Paxton’s AG office, billed $97 million for litigating the claim. Mr. Paxton and his plaintiff partners have gone after the owner of Tylenol on dubious claims of medical harm; Colgate-Palmolive for fluoride in toothpaste despite decades of its safe use; and Google for alleged violations of data privacy. He and his trial-bar pals are also investigating Mars for alleged “toxic dyes” in Skittles and M&M’s, and Kellogg’s for the same in Froot Loops. He’s hired Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee for a lawsuit claiming that BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street conspired to buy shares in coal companies to advance a green agenda. That’s right. He says they invested in the CO2-heavy fuel to serve the climate-change cause.

Democrat Nathan Johnson to run against Republican Mayes Middleton for Texas AG in November election

Democrat Nathan Johnson and Republican Mayes Middleton appear to be headed for a battle over who will be Texas' next attorney general in the November election. Johnson, a state senator from Dallas had almost 60% of the vote in the Democratic runoff shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday , with about 34% of statewide polling locations reporting. And Middleton, a state senator representing the 11th district, had picked up about 56% of the vote in the Republican primary. The Associated Press called the Democratic contest for Texas AG for Johnson and the Republican contest for Middleton Tuesday night. The winner in November will replace Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who outdistanced incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican runoff election Tuesday. Johnson was opposed by former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy unsuccessfully opposed Middleton in the runoff.

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Much of the GOP runoff for the AG nomination focused on who’s the true MAGA candidate. Texas became the lead advocate for President Donald Trump’s agenda in the courtroom under Paxton’s leadership. Middleton’s campaign ran several ads dubbing him “MAGA Mayes.” Middleton frequently pointed to Roy’s past criticisms of the president during the campaign. Roy previously said in a press release that Trump’s conduct during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during President Joe Biden’s inauguration was “clearly impeachable” but called the Democrats’ articles of impeachment flawed and voted against it. “Our voters are just not going to forgive someone that has spent ten years fighting against the president like Chip Roy has,” Middleton said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March. Roy told KERA via email after Middleton’s remarks his actions in Congress show he’s committed to advancing Trump’s agenda. Roy told CBS News ahead of the runoff election people on the left fear having him as AG. “There's a lot of folks who would like to see me not be attorney general because they're afraid of what I would do to advance a conservative agenda for the people of Texas,” he said.

GOP Texas voter on CNN rails against Trump after endorsing Ken Paxton: ‘He’s ruined my Republican Party’

A man complained to CNN that President Donald Trump had “ruined” the Republican Party for him — and that was why he was voting for incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) over the president’s endorsed candidate, state Attorney General Ken Paxton. CNN Correspondent Arlette Saenz spoke to voters in front of a Plano, Texas, polling station on Tuesday. Among them was a cross-armed Rodney Hall, who said he was voting for Cornyn “primarily because he’s not supported by Trump.”

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“I think he’s ruined my Republican Party, I think he’s divided America. I think he’s bad news,” Hall continued. “And I still lean Republican, so I voted for Cornyn.” A moment earlier, Saenz heard from a woman named Gena Tatum, who was on the opposite end — she was voting for Paxton because of Trump’s endorsement. Tatum said she was “torn” on Paxton versus “Cromin” — Saenz jumped in to correct her and say it was “Cornyn” — but that Trump’s endorsement was the “deciding factor.” “I like who he backs,” Tatum said. Those interviews happened as Texans were choosing between the two candidates in the GOP primary runoff. Trump officially endorsed Paxton last week.

Donald Trump-endorsed Alex Mealer wins Republican primary for Texas’ redrawn 9th District

Alex Mealer won the Republican nomination for Texas' newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, according to unofficial returns, beating state Rep. Briscoe Cain in Tuesday’s primary runoff election. Mealer’s win puts her in pole position to replace U.S. Rep. Al Green in Congress. The south Houston district currently held by Green, a Democrat, was redrawn by Texas Republicans to shift farther east and as far north as Liberty County, making the territory newly ripe for Republicans hoping to flip the seat in November. Mealer secured President Donald Trump’s endorsement, allowing her to align herself most closely with the face of the Republican Party. Cain was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Mealer on Tuesday night thanked Trump for his "strong support" during the campaign, eliciting whoops from dozens of supporters at O'Neals On The Water in Baytown. She said Tuesday's results were just a "first step," but that the victory had put her in a "great position" to win in November.

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"Now we focus on November, making sure we win this nomination, and then I have a chance to actually use this office for what it should be, and that's public service," Mealer said. "That's why I'm motivated, to make sure you have a representative that's going to work with your local leaders and deliver real results for this district." Both Mealer and Cain attempted to position themselves as loyal followers of Trump’s conservative agenda, hammering issues of immigration, economic growth and national security throughout their campaigns. Cain, a Deer Park resident who has represented the area in the Texas Legislature for nearly a decade, emphasized his deep roots in the southeast Houston area and attempted to paint his opponent as a “political opportunist” backed by well-funded donors from out of state. Mealer, who narrowly lost a bid for Harris County judge in 2022, positioned herself as a more effective champion for conservative issues than Cain, and drew heavily on her experience in the U.S. Army and oil and gas industry. Mealer will face Democratic nominee Leticia Gutierrez, an environmental justice advocate with Air Alliance Houston, in the general election in November.

County Stories

Jared Williams wins Democratic runoff for Tarrant County commissioner

Former Fort Worth City Council member Jared Williams defeated nonprofit executive Amanda Arizola in the Democratic Party primary runoff for Tarrant County Commissioner, Precinct 2. Williams recieved 59.83% to Arizola’s 40.17% with all 95 voting centers reporting, according to unofficial results from Tarrant County. Williams said he was proud of what his campaign has built together with neighbors across Precinct 2. “This election is about building a Tarrant County where every resident can thrive,” he said in a phone call with the Star-Telegram. Arizola, who began her campaign in December 2025, said in a text message to the Star-Telegram she always knew the race would be an uphill battle.

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“Still, we ran a spirited race and made it to a runoff despite no weekend voting and an election that fell around a major national holiday. There’s still so much work to do in this county to address voter suppression and improve access to the ballot box for everyone,” she said. Williams will face Republican former State Rep. Tony Tinderholt in the Nov. 3 general election with the added challenge of running in a district redrawn in 2025 to favor Republicans. The old map largely consisted of the southeast quadrant of Tarrant County, while the new map wraps around south Fort Worth to include the southwest section of the county up through the Fort Worth’s Ridglea North neighborhood. Arizola pointed to her record bringing result-based community programming as vice chair of the JPS board as the main differentiator between her and Williams, in a Star-Telegram candidate survey. Williams pointed to his government experience delivering results and bringing a “people-centered vision for county government” as his main differentiator. He centered his campaign on cost of living, improving county services, and protecting the rights of citizens at commissioners court meetings.

Luz Elena Chapa wins razor-thin Bexar County DA Democratic runoff

Former Fourth Court of Appeals Justice Luz Elena Chapa narrowly defeated longtime prosecutor Jane Davis on Tuesday night in the Democratic runoff for Bexar County district attorney. She is now positioned to lead one of Texas’ largest criminal justice offices as a political outsider. With all vote centers reporting late Tuesday night, Chapa defeated Davis 50.84% to 49.16%, a margin of only 934 votes, in the race to replace outgoing District Attorney Joe Gonzales, who opted not to seek reelection after two terms. “I’m very proud to be the choice for Bexar County Democrats again,” Chapa said in a statement to the San Antonio Report. “It was a close race, but every vote has been counted and we have won. I look forward to carrying the Democratic Party banner in November and being Bexar County’s next District Attorney.”

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Under Texas law, candidates may request a recount if the margin falls within certain thresholds and the requesting campaign agrees to cover associated costs. Late Tuesday night as the final votes came in, Davis political consultant Laura Barberena said they likely would not request a recount but the campaign had not yet definitively decided. Tuesday’s result marks a major shift for a district attorney’s office that, under Gonzales, became one of Texas’ most closely watched experiments in progressive prosecution. But unlike Gonzales’ 2018 campaign, which was fueled by national justice reform groups and centered heavily on bail reform and decarceration policies, Chapa built her campaign around change, management reform and restoring confidence inside an office she repeatedly described as dysfunctional. Chapa, 52, faced months of criticism from opponents who argued she lacked the background necessary to oversee one of the state’s busiest district attorney’s offices. “I’ve never maintained that I was a former prosecutor,” Chapa told the San Antonio Report earlier this month. “I’ve owned the fact that I’ve been an outsider.”

National Stories

‘Slush fund for crooks’: GOP lawmaker faces criticism over ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, Epstein files and Trump at town hall

GOP Rep. Mike Flood said President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund should not be used for rioters who were at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, during a town hall in his district Tuesday where he was repeatedly pressed on his support of the president’s agenda. The Nebraska congressman, who is no stranger to contentious town halls, faced a barrage of critical questions over the controversial $1.8 billion fund at the event, which comes as lawmakers are back in their home states after a revolt by Senate Republicans over the fund stalled Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda in Washington. Throughout the event, Flood attempted to tout his efforts to be bipartisan, defending Trump in certain areas while not being afraid to, at times, create distance from the leader of his party and his administration.

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Asked to respond to the “anti-weaponization” fund, which was announced as part of a settlement to resolve a $10 billion civil lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS, Flood was careful to say he has not signed off on the effort and said there needs to be restrictions on who can receive the funding. “I have never approved that. I do not think one penny of any fund should ever go to any January 6 insurrectionist that was in the Capitol,” Flood said Tuesday to applause from the audience. “I want to be very clear: I do not think we should be creating a fund for people that commit physical violence against law enforcement.” The fund came up repeatedly in questions from attendees, as did other issues ranging from the war with Iran to Trump’s White House ballroom project. “Iran war, White House ballroom, security for the White House ballroom, immigration enforcement, Trump arch … the reflecting pool renovation, slush fund for crooks and the farm bill. How do we pay for all this?” one person asked.

Supreme Court sides with Trump in fight tied to speech curbs on immigration judges

The U.S. Supreme Court sided on Tuesday with President Donald Trump's administration in a dispute involving a free-speech challenge by federal immigration judges ?to a U.S. government policy restricting what they can publicly say about immigration. The court's ruling did not address the legality of the policy's speech restraint, which was originally ?implemented in 2017 during Trump's first term as president, and appeared to leave the door open for an association representing the judges to continue pursuing their legal challenge in a lower court.

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Trump's administration appealed to the justices after the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered findings on whether his firings of the heads of agencies overseeing federal worker complaints had stripped these agencies of the independence from White House control that Congress had intended. Such a ?finding, the 4th Circuit said, might entitle the immigration judges to their day in court, rather than channel the dispute into agency proceedings, as Trump's administration argued for in ?its appeal. The Supreme Court, in an unsigned ruling, reversed the 4th Circuit's decision and returned the case to that court for further proceedings. The ?justices faulted the 4th Circuit for basing its ruling on an argument that had not been raised by the National Association of Immigration Judges, violating what is known as the "party-presentation" principle. Acting Attorney ?General Todd Blanche welcomed the court's ruling in a social media post.

Alabama appealing to Supreme Court after House map deemed unfair to Black voters rejected

Alabama has filed a notice that it will appeal a three-judge district court’s ruling blocking the use of a Republican-favored congressional district map to the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorney General Steve Marshall filed the notice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama this morning. Marshall had said the state would immediately appeal the ruling.

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The three-judge court for the Northern District of Alabama found that the map passed by the Legislature in 2023 violated the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment by intentionally diluting the influence of Black voters. The judges blocked the state from using the map for an August 11 special primary authorized by the Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey. The primary is for congressional districts 1, 2, 6, and 7. Republicans hope to use the Legislature’s map to flip District 2 back to the GOP, won by U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, two years ago. Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement about the ruling and the appeal. “Alabama’s redistricting battle continues after federal judges temporarily blocked use of our 2023 congressional map,” Ivey said. “I fully support Attorney General Marshall appealing this unsurprising decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and I remain hopeful they will allow Alabama to move forward with our August 11 Special Primary Election. “I will continue to say: Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best.”

GOP-controlled SC Senate kills 2026 redistricting push despite Trump pressure

The South Carolina Senate killed a proposed congressional map for the 2026 election as thousands of voters went to the polls Tuesday, rebuking pressure from the White House to create seven reliably Republican districts. With a record number of primary voters casting their ballots around the state Tuesday, the Senate’s Republican supermajority could not muster enough support to limit debate and force a final vote on a new congressional map. “The deadline has passed, voting has begun,” said state Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson. “It is time to conclude the matter.” Senators voted 26-18 to “continue” the redistricting bill and adjourned without taking up amendments or giving it a final vote, effectively ending the effort for the year.

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The Senate is scheduled to return to Columbia on June 10, the day after the June 9 primary, to finish work on the budget and bills that have been sent to conference committees. The House, where all seats are up for reelection this year, has not set a date for a return. The General Assembly spent eight days of a special session, and hundreds of thousands of state dollars, on the failed attempt to redraw the state’s congressional maps. The vote to reject redistricting occurred twelve days after the end of the regular legislative session. While several Republicans opposed rushed middecade redistricting from the beginning, many more jumped ship on the effort by Tuesday. Twelve Republicans joined all 12 Democrats to oppose limiting debate Tuesday. On Saturday, only seven Republicans voted against invoking cloture, a procedure to cut debate short. State Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, has opposed the effort since the Senate first voted not to take up redistricting after the end of the legislative session. He spoke against the hasty process of trying to adopt a new congressional map this year and made the final motion to quash the legislation.

Biden sues Justice Department to block release of audio recordings

Former president Joe Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday, seeking to block the Trump administration from releasing the recordings and transcripts of his private interviews with a ghost writer who was helping to write his memoir. The lawsuit argues that releasing the recordings would reflect an abandonment of the Justice Department’s “obligations to safeguard sensitive and highly personal law enforcement information.” The Justice Department informed Biden it plans on June 15 to provide the material to a congressional committee and a conservative think tank that had filed a public records request, according to the lawsuit.

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The conversations Biden had with writer Mark Zwonitzer occurred in 2016 and 2017, in the years after Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer and as he was contemplating a run for president. The Justice Department obtained the recordings during a 2023 special counsel investigation in which former attorney general Merrick Garland directed a probe into whether Biden, who served as vice president from 2009 to 2017, mishandled classified materials in the years before he became president. Special counsel Robert Hur determined after an extensive investigation that while Biden carelessly handled sensitive material, no chargeable crime was committed. The current legal battle stems from a public records request lodged by the conservative Heritage Foundation in 2024 for those recorded conversations. They reportedly include Biden reading from notebooks chronicling his time in office that investigators determined contained classified information.

Trump administration proposes NDAs for all federal workers

The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that would bar federal workers from sharing a wide array of “confidential government information,” according to a draft notice posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The draft notice, which will be published Wednesday and stay open for a 30-day public comment period, uses an expansive definition of privileged information, beyond typical classified and unclassified designations. Under the terms of the draft, employees would be blocked from sharing “non-public, confidential, or proprietary information” or “any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law.”

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Agencies can decide whether to adopt the NDA, according to the draft. In the draft notice, OPM cited a number of high-profile leaks, including “unauthorized disclosures” that it said were made to the New York Times and The Washington Post about the U.S. raid in Venezuela in January that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. The notice said the leaks “put the lives of members of the armed forces at risk, leading news organizations to delay ‘publishing what they knew to avoid endangering U.S. troops.’” Ask The Post AI Dive deeper New York Times Executive Editor Joe Kahn previously disputed that the publication had sensitive information about the mission that required it to delay its story. “Contrary to some claims, however, The Times did not have verified details about the pending operation to capture Maduro or a story prepared, nor did we withhold publication at the request of the Trump administration,” Kahn said in a January explainer on the Times’s website.

House Democrat: Platner’s tattoo should be ‘disqualifying’

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) refused to back Democrats’ leading candidate in the Maine Senate race, citing Graham Platner’s controversial tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. “I’ve been clear about Graham Platner. I find that tattoo and his commentary about it to be personally disqualifying,” Auchincloss, who is Jewish, told CNN’s Boris Sanchez on Monday. “I hope Maine voters agree with me,” he continued. “I think it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to think that Graham Platner’s brand of the Democratic Party is what wins us durable majorities throughout this country.” The candidate said he covered up the chest tattoo after receiving criticism that it resembled a Totenkopf, a symbol adopted by Adolf Hitler’s troops in Nazi Germany.

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Platner explained last October that he was not aware of this link and first heard about it from “reporters and D.C. insiders.” “I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that — and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I am already planning to get this removed,” he added at the time. The Senate hopeful has also faced criticism over posts he made several years ago on the social platform Reddit, where he called himself a “communist” and police officers “bastards.” Platner told “Pod Save America” in an episode last fall that the posts were intended to “get a rise out of people” and did not reflect his true beliefs at the time. The U.S. Army veteran-turned-oyster farmer is widely expected to win the state’s Democratic primary on June 9, after which he will compete in the November election against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). When asked whether he could support Platner to oust the GOP senator, Auchincloss said “values and principles always come before party.” “We saw Republicans forget that lesson with Donald Trump in 2016 and how much damage it’s done to the country,” he said. “I will never forget that lesson.” Auchincloss’s comment drew pushback from Saikat Chakrabarti, a Democratic candidate for California’s 11th House District.

Trump declares himself in perfect health after physical exam

U.S. President Donald Trump, who turns 80 next month, said "everything checked out perfectly" after ?having his physical on Tuesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, following a year of public attention on apparently ?minor health issues. Trump offered no details of the physical in a brief Truth Social post saying he had completed his six-monthly exam. Trump frequently casts himself as more energetic and fitter than Joe Biden, his Democratic predecessor who left office last year at age 82 after facing questions about his fitness for the job.

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Still, recent photographs showing ?a blotchy neck rash have added to questions about Trump's health, following images in July 2025 of swollen ankles and a ?bruised hand concealed with makeup. Trump, whose birthday is June 14, became the oldest person to assume the presidency ?when he began his second term in January 2025. The visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was Trump's third in 13 months. Trump ?maintains an active golf schedule, but joked about his relative lack of exercise at a recent Oval Office event where his health secretary, Robert ?F. Kennedy Jr, said the president walks nine miles (14.5 km) every time he goes golfing. "When I am not using the cart," Trump said. White House physician Sean Barbabella has said Trump is using a common cream as "a preventative skin treatment" to address the neck rash, but he has not given details of the condition being ?treated. After the photographs of the president's legs and hands were published last July, Barbabella said in a letter that the ailments were benign and ?that there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.

Copyright May 28, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved