Trump endorses Paxton in Texas Senate race despite pleas from GOP leaders
Trump endorsed Paxton after months of pressure from Senate Republicans to support Cornyn.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
Yahoo News is an established national news publisher, and this article has a named author and reports the endorsement alongside polling and reactions. The short report gives limited detail about its polling sources and does not include direct responses from the candidates.
- Source type — Established national news publisher.
- Author attribution — A named author is identified.
- Editorial standards — The publisher has an established news operation, though the article provides little detail about its reporting process.
- Transparency — Polling and political assessments are mentioned, but the report offers limited sourcing detail for them.
The report identifies the endorsement, quotes Trump's post, includes a response from Lisa Murkowski, and provides polling and race context. Its sourcing is limited, and neither candidate is quoted directly.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article offers Trump's explanation, Republican leaders' preference for Cornyn, polling context, and Murkowski's criticism of the endorsement. It does not include direct responses from Paxton or Cornyn.
- Source diversity — Includes the president's post, a Republican senator's reaction, and polling assessments.
- Counterarguments presented — Reports that Senate Republicans preferred Cornyn and that Murkowski thought the endorsement could help Democrats.
- Omitted context — Neither Paxton nor Cornyn responds directly in the article.
- Loaded language — The framing is generally descriptive, with limited evaluative language.
The report uses straightforward language and presents Trump's endorsement, Republican leaders' preference for Cornyn, polling, and Murkowski's reaction without an evident partisan argument.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive language; the report does not use sustained partisan or emotionally loaded phrasing.
- Source selection — Includes Trump's post, a Republican senator's reaction, and polling context.
- Framing — Frames the endorsement as a development in the runoff and its possible effect on the race.
Republished
Republished from Deseret News. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.
50 stories · 77–79 · updated Oct 7, 2026
This is Deseret News's own score, and this article is credited to Deseret News. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton in the Texas Republican Senate runoff, a move the article says dealt a blow to incumbent John Cornyn. The endorsement came one week before the runoff, after Senate Republicans had urged Trump to back Cornyn.
Trump announced his endorsement in a Truth Social post, praising Paxton and criticizing Cornyn for not supporting him during difficult times. Senate Republicans had pressed Trump to endorse Cornyn, whom they viewed as better positioned to defeat Democratic candidate James Talarico.
The article says early polling gave Cornyn a better chance against Talarico, while Talarico led both Republicans in recent polling; the Cook Political Report rated the race likely Republican. Lisa Murkowski said Democrats were more likely to win after Trump endorsed Paxton. Cornyn had finished ahead of Paxton in the March primary, but neither received more than 50 percent, sending them to a runoff.
Community verdict
23 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →President who endorsed Paxton in the Texas Senate runoff
Republican candidate in the Texas Senate runoff endorsed by Trump
Paxton's version of this story ↗Democratic candidate for the Texas Senate seat
Senator from Alaska who criticized the likely electoral effect of Trump's endorsement
Incumbent Texas senator and candidate in the Republican runoff
Part of a bigger story
34 OUTLETSOutlets agree that President Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff ahead of the May 26 contest. Left-leaning outlets emphasize Paxton’s controversies and present the endorsement as a possible opening for Democrats. Center outlets focus on how Trump’s choice affects the runoff, Republican strategy and November prospects. Right-leaning outlets foreground Trump’s support for Paxton, including his praise of Paxton’s loyalty and alignment with his agenda.
- ARTICLES
- 36
- OUTLETS
- 34
- AVG CRED
- 65
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