Overview
- Outgoing Sen. John Cornyn published a Wall Street Journal op‑ed on Wednesday blaming 'unforced political errors,' intra‑party attacks, and candidate choices for Republican losses in the 2026 midterms.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Cornyn in the GOP primary but then lost the general election to Democrat James Talarico, who won about 55.1% to Paxton’s 43%.
- Paxton’s defeat on Tuesday helped hand Democrats control of both the House and Senate and ended nearly four decades without a Democratic U.S. Senate win in Texas.
- Cornyn faulted performative politics, loyalty tests, and late endorsements from President Donald Trump for producing nominees with scandals or weak general‑election appeal, naming Paxton and other recent primary winners as examples.
- The op‑ed calls for party leaders to 'stop excusing the inexcusable' and to police their own side, a demand that could shape GOP nomination strategies and outside spending ahead of 2028.