The Battle For American Identity May 27, 2026 TEXAS REPUBLICANS CHOOSE PAXTON Charlie Sykes: For Trump, Ken Paxton Is the Whole Package It’s hard to name a political figure more publicly and egregiously corrupt than Paxton. Which is precisely why Trump endorsed him. For Donald Trump, Ken Paxton is the whole package. In Paxton, Trump has found an accomplice nearly as corrupt as he is himself; and who comes close to matching Trump’s own dishonesty, immorality, and anti-democratic impulses. Indeed, Paxton is a layer-cake of scandal, including felony indictments for securities fraud, allegations of bribery and abuse of office, whistleblower retaliation, and extramarital affairs. Don’t take my word for it. Paxton’s fellow Republicans found his conduct so repugnant they impeached him and temporarily removed him from office. (Much like his political godfather, Paxton was acquitted in the senate.) His own staff reported him to the FBI, and resigned en masse accusing him of bribery, abuse of office, and misuse of state resources to benefit a fat-cat donor.1 His wife divorced him “on biblical grounds”, accusing Paxton of committing adultery, based on “recent discoveries.” Any or all of this would be disqualifying for any politician not named Trump. But Paxton endeared himself to the president by his zealousness in launching bogus lawsuits challenging the 2020 election and leading the effort to overturn the outcome. In the end, this was the qualification that mattered to Trump: Ken Paxton would be willing to break the law for Trump; John Cornyn might not. Ken Paxton would provide cover for any act of corruption Trump might commit; John Cornyn might not. And most important: If needed, Ken Paxton would join any Trump coup attempt; John Cornyn might not. In other words, Trump was looking for a henchman, not a statesman. And he found the whole package in Paxton. It’s good news for James Talarico, who now has an even better chance of representing Texas in the United States Senate. Texas Democrats and Independents will vote for him, as some of the Republicans who voted for Cornyn in the primary just might, too — or at least stay home. So we have a real shot at flipping Senate seats in Ohio, Maine, Alaska, North Carolina, Iowa, Texas, and maybe even Florida and Mississippi and Nebraska. Imagine if the number of Republicans in the U.S. Senate shrank from 53 to 44! I’m not saying it’s going to happen — but it could. Join Indivisible! Support the opposition! 15 SPEECHES If you have time, this interview with Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes is just terrific. It’s about his new book, All We Say — The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches.