Texas Republicans already had their say.
In the May runoff, Ken Paxton beat John Cornyn by nearly 384,000 votes. Paxton took 885,949 votes to Cornyn's 501,725, roughly 64% of the Republican runoff vote.
Apparently, however, Texas Republicans failed to consult the correct Republican first.
Enter Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who told viewers Sunday that President Donald Trump's decision to support Paxton was a "colossal mistake." And just like that, a retiring senator from North Carolina became a useful authority on what Texas Republicans should've done months after Texas Republicans had already done it.
The presentation is almost elegant.
Tillis announced in June 2025 that he wouldn't seek another term, saying retirement would give him the "pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit" without worrying about those pesky voters, fundraising, or another campaign.
Isn't this just peachy? A senator who no longer has to face voters is now available to explain the electoral wisdom of voters in another state.
The Guardian gave Tillis's criticism headline treatment Sunday, describing Trump's support for Paxton as the decision that put a Republican Senate seat at risk. The story also provides readers with Paxton's impeachment, legal troubles, foot fungus (kidding), divorce, and adultery allegations.
This does pain me, but from The Guardian:
In a social media post shortly before the election day, Trump said Cornyn had been “VERY disloyal” to him and implored voters in Texas to “REMEMBER!”
Paxton, meanwhile, is struggling to overcome a series of political scandals. He was impeached in 2023 after being accused of corruption and later acquitted in a trial in the Texas senate. He was also indicted on charges of felony securities fraud, but the case was dismissed after a 2024 pretrial diversion agreement.
In July 2025, his wife of 38 years, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce “on biblical grounds”, citing adultery.
James Talafreako receives a somewhat different introduction; his campaign has drawn attention for its message of peace and populism.
Subtle as a marching band in a library.
There is, however, a legitimate political issue underneath the packaging. Paxton is in a close race. A September poll tracker maintained by the University of Texas showed several surveys with Talafreak-O narrowly ahead. An NPR/Marist poll had the freak at 50% and Paxton at 44%, while Emerson had it 47% to 46%.
As with every poll measuring Republican candidates, we can 102% trust what they survey. Amirite?
So Tillis can reasonably argue that Paxton faces a tougher general election than Cornyn might have, and nobody on the left needs to pretend otherwise.
But that still leaves a fascinating editorial choice.
Nearly two-thirds of Republican runoff voters chose Paxton. Yet the Republican voice selected to frame their decision is a lame-duck senator from another state, headed for retirement, who has repeatedly criticized Trump and no longer needs Republican primary voters for anything.
Related: Tillis Has One Foot Out the Door and Both Hands on the Senate Brakes
That's apparently the gold standard Republican witness, right along with Trailer-Park Barbie, MTG.
The formula has become familiar enough to recognize: find a Republican criticizing Trump, place "Republican" prominently near the top, and suddenly ideological distance becomes a credential.
Tillis is free to think Trump made a terrible mistake, and he maybe, eventually, will be proven right about the political cost.
Texas Republicans were equally free to disagree with him, and they already did. By almost 384,000.