Hello readers and welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional reporter. It's Wednesday, and the political world is reeling from John Cornyn's loss. Let's get into it.
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Those were the words of longtime CNN anchor John King as he described just how badly Sen. John Cornyn was defeated by Ken Paxton in last night's Texas Senate primary runoff. The night was yet another demonstration of the power of President Trump's endorsement.
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One of the most interesting developments of the night was a cryptic statement from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. As Paxton's victory seemed all but certain, it didn't mention either candidate by name.
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“A state President Trump won by nearly 14 points isn’t going to elect James Talarico – a radical leftist who thinks God is nonbinary and that Texas should be a welcome mat for illegals. He is the most dangerous flank of the far left. Texas isn’t swapping brisket for open borders," said Samantha Cantrell, the NRSC's regional press secretary.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to supporters after winning the Republican runoff election for U.S. Senate in Texas, defeating incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn, in Plano, Texas, on May 26, 2026.
Evan Garcia, REUTERS
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The vagueness of the message was in stark contrast to previous NRSC missives about Paxton. The group previously called the Texas state attorney general's behavior, after his wife decided to divorce him on what she characterized as biblical grounds, "repulsive and disgusting" (as Dave Levinthal from NOTUS pointed out).
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Reversing that narrative ahead of the November general elections will be an uphill, and potentially expensive, climb.
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Still, John Barrasso, the Senate GOP's number two, threw his full support behind Paxton on Tuesday, saying he "will be a key member of our Senate Republican majority fighting for America First."
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South Carolina Senate kills redistricting before midterms
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Democrats' Palmetto State victory marked one of two small but necessary wins on the same day for the national party, which has lost considerable ground over the last few weeks in the redistricting wars gripping the country in the lead-up to November.
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While congressional Democrats in Washington remain bullish that they'll take back the House of Representatives in the fall, a series of bruising court decisions has set them back considerably, preventing them from gerrymandering states in equal measure with Republicans.
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Trump-backed candidate traded racist jokes with extremist, screenshot shows
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Mark Lamb did not push back when a member of a citizen militia group used a racial epithet in an online message exchange. He instead made a racist joke, a screenshot shows.
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The Trump-endorsed candidate for Congress, running to succeed Republican Rep. Andy Biggs in Arizona's fifth congressional district, also cheered other discriminatory slurs in messages to a member of the vigilante group Border Narcotics Intelligence, messages from one of his 2016 campaign social media accounts show.
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Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
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The request for volunteers for Ebola screening comes as the CDC staff has shrunk by about 30% since last year due to restructuring and layoffs.
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As a UFC arena is being built outside the White House before June's fight in the Capital, the internet is comparing it to a popular satire movie.
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