Talarico prevails as Trump looms over Texas Senate GOP runoff

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Texas GOP Senate Primary Heads To Runoff Election, With John Cornyn, Ken Paxton On Ballot | TRENDING

Texas GOP Senate Primary Heads To Runoff Election, With John Cornyn, Ken Paxton On Ballot | TRENDING

Morning Report is The Hill’s a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.

▪ Takeaways from Texas

▪ Americans race to leave Middle East

▪ Noem back on Capitol Hill for round 2 

▪ Upcoming primaries to watch

Texas state Rep. James Talarico pulled off a major victory to become the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas on Tuesday, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is heading to a runoff to try to keep his hopes of reelection alive.

The result has put a major spotlight on President Trump, with national Republicans hoping the president will weigh in on the GOP race in an effort to boost the incumbent lawmaker to try to protect the party’s majority come November.

The Democratic race between Talarico and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) was expected to be a tight race and largely played out that way throughout much of Tuesday evening, though Talarico began pulling away as the remaining votes trickled in, leading Decision Desk HQ to call the race for him after 2 a.m.

With Crockett dominating among Black voters and Talarico ahead among white voters, the state legislator’s clear edge in key Hispanic counties ultimately put him over the finish line.

Talarico currently leads with 53 percent of the vote as of the latest count, compared to about 46 percent for Crockett.

Polling in the race had been mixed, with various surveys showing each candidate ahead close to primary day. But a handful of polls released shortly before the primary from independent pollsters signaled a possible late surge from Talarico, putting him ahead of the House Democrat.

Talarico’s campaign saw a boost in momentum after the national attention he received for his interview with the “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, with controversy over CBS’ decision not to air it on TV dominating the conversation for days and leading to a $2.5 million windfall for Talarico’s campaign in the 24 hours after the interview. Crockett acknowledged the controversy likely helped her opponent.

Talarico’s win is also an affirmation for what is expected to be his more conciliatory approach in the general election trying to win over voters who may have backed Trump in the past. While Talarico and Crockett didn’t differ as much ideologically, the latter was known for her reputation as a liberal firebrand pushing back hard on the president and Republicans.

That’s not to say Talarico won’t still have an uphill battle in the general election, but how the GOP’s May runoff plays out could make a significant difference in the head-to-head options for voters in the fall.

On the Republican side, Cornyn will face off against his longtime rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), in what is expected to be a fierce battle just as heated as the primary.

Paxton has gone after Cornyn’s conservative credentials, branding him a “RINO,” or Republican in name only, and accused him of being insufficiently loyal to Trump’s agenda.

Cornyn, meanwhile, has used a massive treasure chest on ads targeting Paxton for several personal controversies and argued that his nomination would risk flipping the seat to the Democrats in November.

The incumbent GOP senator is currently slightly ahead in Tuesday’s primary with about 42 percent of the vote to Paxton’s 41 percent. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) trails well behind with 13.5 percent.

The race was expected to head to a runoff, and Cornyn’s result actually outperformed expectations, as most polls had shown him trailing Paxton by a few points.

That may be enough to convince his backers to hold the line and that he has a solid chance to defeat Paxton in May.

“It is clear Lone Star voters appreciate Senator Cornyn’s integrity and long record of service, and they recognize that this Senate seat is too important to jeopardize in November,” said Alex Latcham, the executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the super PAC associated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) that works to defend and expand the number of Senate Republicans.

“SLF and its sister organizations were proud to support Senator Cornyn early and we look forward to him securing the Republican nomination on May 26th,” Latcham said.

Still, Cornyn is facing the biggest challenge of his political career. Both Paxton and Hunt attacked the GOP senator as insufficiently conservative, and about 55 percent of voters supported one of those rivals.

Cornyn will need to win over a chunk of voters who supported another candidate Tuesday in order to prevail in the runoff and get on the November ballot. 

The most effective way to do that would almost certainly be a coveted endorsement from the president. Trump has largely stayed out of the race so far, praising all of the Republicans.

But with some national Republicans expressing concerns about Paxton’s electability, pressure may rise on Trump to throw his support behind Cornyn.

That pressure may only be higher with Talarico’s victory in the Democratic primary, as Republicans have largely viewed him as a bigger electoral threat than Crockett.

OTHER RACES: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) lost his primary to state Rep. Steve Toth (R), who challenged him from the right.

Toth appears on track to win comfortably by double digits, making Crenshaw the first incumbent to lose their primary of the midterm cycle.

Former MLB player Mark Teixeira appears headed for Congress after his victory in the Republican primary for an open House seat.

The retired first baseman won a crowded contest for the GOP nomination to succeed Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who chose to run for state attorney general instead of reelection. Teixeira has Trump’s endorsement and was expected to win the primary. He’ll be the clear favorite in November in a solidly Republican-leaning district.

Teixeira played for several times during his baseball career, including the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees. He won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009.

And the North Carolina Senate matchup is officially between former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley. Read more takeaways from other races here.

3 Things to Know Today

A fire in the parking lot of the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been extinguished following a drone strike. No one was injured.

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference later this month. The son of the former shah has pitched himself as an interim leader for Iran after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces to try to create a popular uprising against the Iranian government, CNN reported. The Trump administration has been in talks with Kurds and other Iranian opposition groups about providing them military support.

THE RACE IS ON for the federal government to quickly get Americans out of the Middle East as the conflict with Iran expands across the region.

The State Department has urged Americans from more than a dozen countries throughout the region to leave as Iran retaliates to the U.S.-Israeli strikes with attacks of its own on other nations. But doing so appears to be logistically much easier said than done.

The department initially directed Americans to book commercial flights, but more than 6,000 flights from countries in the region had been canceled as of Tuesday afternoon ET. Major airlines are diverting trips for at least the next couple days because of regional instability.

The situation has sparked criticism, particularly from Democrats, as to why the Trump administration didn’t have a more defined plan for getting Americans in harm’s way out of the area.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said in a post on the social platform X that his office is receiving “panicked calls” from Americans who are stuck in the Middle East and “outraged that our government has provided zero evacuation support.”

Trump told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. didn’t have a preconceived evacuation plan for Americans because the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes “happened very quickly.”

“We thought and I thought, maybe more so than most, I could ask [Secretary of State Marco Rubio], but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked,” he said, arguing he was right about the plan to attack first.

Rubio insisted to reporters Monday ahead of a briefing with congressional leaders that Iran did pose an imminent threat to the U.S.

The Senate is set to vote today on a war powers resolution intended to restrict Trump’s military authority in Iran, a vote likely to fail with most Republicans opposed to it.

With commercial airspace restricted, the State Department is now turning to securing military aircraft and charter flights for U.S. citizens who wish to leave the Middle East, according to Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of State for global public affairs. He said the department has been in contact with nearly 3,000 Americans so far.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that 9,000 Americans have returned from the Middle East since the Iran strikes began. He said those seeking to return home should register with the State Department.

“The Department will identify where you are, and provide travel options to you,” Trump continued. “We are already chartering flights, free of charge, and booking commercial options, which we expect will become increasingly available as time goes on.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also pointed citizens to the department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which allows officials to quickly contact enrollees in cases of emergency.

But Kim said starting evacuation warnings days into the conflict after commercial airspace was already closed shows a lack of a plan.

“Now Americans have limited options to evacuate at an extremely dangerous moment with no government assistance. This administration is failing its citizens,” he said on X.

The situation on the ground in multiple Middle Eastern countries is adding to the difficulty of connecting with and helping Americans who want to leave.

Operations at the U.S. embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were suspended after drone attacks, while the embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, closed Tuesday because of the regional instability.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the embassy in Jerusalem is not currently in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in leaving the country. Instead, he recommended using Israel’s Ministry of Tourism shuttle buses to travel to Egypt and get flights from there.

He said he wouldn’t suggest evacuating to Jordan for now as flights are inconsistent.

The president is meanwhile doubling down on his strategy regarding Iran, emphasizing the U.S. role in the operation and slamming allies who have broken with him on the plan.

Trump contradicted an account from Rubio in saying he might have forced Israel to strike Iran first based on his opinion that Iran was going to attack. Rubio had said Israel had decided to attack, which prompted Trump’s decision to join the fight before likely Iranian retaliatory strikes.

During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday, Trump went after both U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Spain, both of which have distanced themselves from Trump’s Iran operations.

“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he said.

“And by the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either,” he added.

▪ The Hill: GOP says Iran conflict isn’t a war but a limited military operation.

▪ The Hill: Trump likely to get free hand on Iran from divided Congress.

BACK IN THE HOT SEAT: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be back on Capitol Hill today to face questions from lawmakers after facing a barrage of attacks from members of both parties in the Senate on Tuesday, who cast doubt on her leadership.

Noem received a cold response even from some Republicans to her Tuesday testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Arguably the most vocal condemnation came from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who lambasted her during a 10-minute monologue.

His criticism touched on a variety of topics, from the two individuals killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota in January to alleged violations of the rights of U.S. citizens during enforcement operations and accusations of Noem holding up federal emergency funding.

“I’m giving you a performance evaluation here — I’m not looking for a response,” Tillis said, adding “time after time after time, I’ve been disappointed.”

Noem also faced skepticism from GOP Sen. John Kennedy (La.) over a $200 million ad campaign that he said was “primarily effective in [her] name recognition.” The ad from last February featured Noem telling migrants to go home or face deportation.

She also engaged in a tense back-and-forth with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who pressed Noem on her accusation that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were trying to carry out domestic terrorism.

“One of the most hurtful things they could ever imagine was said by you about their son,” Klobuchar said, referring to Pretti’s family.

And Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) repeatedly pressed her on her department’s push to purchase “a luxury jet with a bedroom” for detainees. Noem said the plane is being refurbished to remove the bedroom.

Read five takeaways from the hearing from The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch here.

Noem is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m.

Her appearances come as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues without a clear end in sight. Democrats appear undeterred in insisting on immigration reforms for them to agree to fund DHS, The Hill’s Al Weaver reports.

Democrats have held their ground despite Republicans placing new pressure on the opposition to fully fund the department given the military developments in Iran and the Middle East.

Transportation Security Administration workers, who have mostly been required to continue working without pay during the shutdown, are set to miss their first paycheck Friday, another factor that is expected to add pressure to bring an end to the funding gap.

▪ The Hill: Dems whipping votes against DHS funding bill.

LUTNICK TO TESTIFY: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said Lutnick “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” before the panel, saying he commends the secretary’s “demonstrated commitment to transparency.”

The announcement comes after bipartisan calls for Lutnick to testify following the release of new Epstein files that showed he kept contact with Epstein longer than he previously said. He initially claimed to have cut ties with the disgraced financier in 2005, but emails revealed they were in contact in 2012.

Lutnick later confirmed he met with Epstein that year but said he didn’t observe any illegal activity.

▪ CBS News: What remains online of the Epstein files.

▪ The Hill: Bill O’Reilly says Hillary Clinton deposition was unnecessary.

REVERSE, REVERSE: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has changed course again by seeking to continue to enforce the president’s executive orders targeting some of the country’s top law firms, just a day after moving to dismiss its appeal.

The DOJ asked a federal judge in a court filing Tuesday to allow it to withdraw its motion to dismiss its appeals of four rulings. Those rulings had rejected Trump’s executive orders targeting the firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey. The firms are opposing the request, saying they agreed to the government’s request for a voluntary dismissal of the case.

The executive orders have sought to limit the firms’ government contracts and employees’ security clearances and access to government buildings. They have alleged they were politically targeted for representing Trump’s political adversaries.

Federal judges have ruled against these orders as unlawful, though at least nine other firms that were targeted have chosen not to fight back. Instead, they agreed to provide tens of millions of dollars in pro bono work to the Trump administration to void the orders.

The president will participate in executive time at 8 a.m. He will participate in a phone interview at 1:30 p.m. He will participate in a roundtable on the ratepayer protection pledge at 3 p.m.

The House and Senate will convene at 10 a.m.

PRIMARIES TO WATCH: With the first midterm primaries of the year in the books, the thick of campaign season is underway featuring competitive contests across the U.S.

Several states will hold their primaries in the coming weeks, with others stretching toward September, less than two months before Election Day.

Here’s what to watch coming up:

March 10 – Mississippi

Illinois will feature a few high-profile races on the Democratic side, including the contest to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D). The main candidates for the nomination include Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is also seeking the Democratic nomination for a third term in office.

March 31 – Arkansas runoff (if necessary)

April 7 – Mississippi runoff (if necessary)

May 5 – Indiana and Ohio

The Indiana primary will be a test of Trump’s influence as he has declared his support for challengers to a few Republican state lawmakers who opposed the push to redraw the state’s congressional lines. Ohio will feature a key Senate matchup in November, likely between Sen. Jon Husted (R) and former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), who is coming off a defeat in 2024.

May 12 – Nebraska and West Virginia, North Carolina runoff (if necessary)

The Democratic race for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District will be the one to watch, with a few major candidates vying for the seat in the swing district. The retirement of Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) has added to Democratic hopes of flipping the seat in November.

▪ The Hill: Sam Brown passes on House bid in Nevada.

▪ The Hill: Democrats drop consideration of midterm convention.

PARENT CONVICTED: The father of an alleged school shooter has been found guilty of murder over his ties to the shooting, making him the latest parent to be implicated in a shooting allegedly carried out by their child.

A jury quickly found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter over the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. His son, Colt Gray, was 14 years old when he allegedly opened fire at the school, killing two students and two teachers.

The younger Gray has pleaded not guilty to the charges he’s facing.

Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son a gun as a gift and allowed him access to it and ammunition despite signs of the son’s declining mental health, The Associated Press reported. They said the father knew his son was obsessed with school shooters, having a shrine to the 2018 Parkland, Fla., school shooter in his bedroom.

Colin Gray is the most recent in a string of parents who have been convicted of crimes related to mass shootings purportedly carried out by their children. Other prominent examples include Jennifer and James Crumbley in Michigan and Robert Crimo Jr. in Illinois.

▪ The Associated Press: Past instances of parents convicted over mass shootings.

End-stage disease shouldn’t be the entry to care, former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield writes in The Hill.

Cubans are begging for the US to finish the job, Daniel Allott writes in The Hill.

And finally … Singer Kesha criticized the White House for using one of her songs in a video she said was meant to “incite violence and threaten war.”

The video, posted last month, showed images of military planes flying and a missile hitting a naval ship as Kesha’s 2010 song “Blow” plays. The pop star accused the administration of “trying to make light of war,” calling it “disgusting and inhumane.”

“I absolutely do NOT approve of my music being used to promote violence of any kind. Love always trumps hate. please love yourself and each other in times like this. This show of blatant disregard for human life and quite frankly this attack on all of our nervous systems is the opposite of what I stand for,” she said in a post on Instagram.

Kesha is the latest of a high number of musical artists who have pushed back against the Trump administration for using their work without permission. Other recent examples include Sabrina Carpenter and the family and estate of soul singer Isaac Hayes.

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