On May 26, 2026, the second half of President Donald Trump’s second term may be on the ballot.

Texas Senator John Cornyn held off Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to lead in the first round of the 2026 race for the Texas Senate seat, but since Congressman Wesley Hunt drew more than 13% of the primary vote, a run-off between Cornyn and Paxton will be held on May 26.

Senator Cornyn is a stalwart conservative, a former Texas State Supreme Court justice and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. Attorney General Paxton is a fixture of the often black-and-blue brawling of the Lone Star State’s internal combinations.

How black-and-blue?

Paxton was impeached by the overwhelmingly GOP-dominated state legislature on 16 counts of alleged wrongdoing in 2023. Paxton survived his trial in the Texas State Senate and was acquitted, but should he somehow catch and pass Cornyn in the run-off, the safe GOP seat in deep-red Texas suddenly becomes very winnable for the Democrats who have nominated boy-band-look alike James Talarico. Cornyn will roll over the young man. Paxton is likely to get rolled by him.

President Trump could come in on Cornyn’s side before May 26 and put an end to the sideshow that threatens to put the GOP’s Senate majority at risk if Paxton wins.

The Senate GOP enjoys a 53-47 advantage right now. While it is hard to see a path for Democrats to get to 51, it’s not impossible. It becomes much more likely, in fact, if Paxton wins the run-off and loses the general. Much. More. Likely.

What would a Democratic Senate majority mean for President Trump? Start with long, repeating Senate trials on bogus articles of impeachment which will roll over from a House Democratic majority on a conveyor belt. Count on a Democratic Senate majority to go to any lengths to recapture the White House in 2028 while crippling the ability of 45-47 to get much done in his last two years.

The courts would also be at risk. President Trump’s nominees for the federal bench, especially the Supreme Court, should any occur, would not get a hearing as Democrats chant in unison the name of Merrick Garland.

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In fact, it would not be surprising to see zero nominees for any advice-and-consent position proceed to a floor vote. The Democrats are deranged — “These people are crazy!” was the best line of the president’s State of the Union — and a “TDS” infected Democratic Senate majority would be a nightmare for the president and the Republic.

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The good news is that Texas Republicans are a smart lot. They have rejected every attempt by national media over two decades to get them to desert the GOP to support the latest progressive poster child. Texas voters play politics like they play football — to win. Trading a veteran and accomplished legislator for (at best) the lowest ranked senator in an institution that runs on seniority would be foolish indeed. Switching Cronyn out for Paxton is inviting Talarico to “represent” Texas for six long years.

Texans shouldn’t bench a long-time winner for an injured and injury-prone JV player. President Trump can assure that they won’t. The president played it smart by letting Texas Republicans pick their leader in the clubhouse. Now is the time for President Trump to seal his party’s majority in the Senate in 2027 and 2028 with a ringing endorsement of Senator John Cornyn.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of “The Hugh Hewitt Show” heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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