Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn fared better than expected in the Texas U.S. Senate Republican primary, Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Wednesday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Goldman said the results on Tuesday surprised many observers who believed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton would dominate the early vote.
Instead, the race proved far closer than anticipated, with Cornyn drawing stronger support than many polls predicted.
"Texas primaries — expect the unexpected," Goldman said. "I think everyone predicted that Sen. Cornyn and Paxton were going to end up in the runoff. I think what people weren't expecting is the spread of John Cornyn in first and Paxton in second, and the amount of people who voted for Sen. Cornyn."
He added, "In fact, Paxton continued to release internal polls saying that he was far in the lead, and that just wasn't the case when it came to voters voting last night."
The primary sets up a May 26 Cornyn-Paxton runoff in what is expected to be one of the most expensive and closely watched Senate contests in Texas political history.
President Donald Trump has not yet issued an endorsement in the race.
Goldman said he's firmly backing Cornyn in the runoff and believes the longtime senator is the strongest Republican candidate heading into the general election.
"I've already endorsed Sen. Cornyn," Goldman said. "I've worked with Sen. Cornyn a long time. When we needed something from Washington, D.C., he always delivered."
Cornyn, who has represented Texas in the Senate since 2002 and previously served as the state's attorney general, is widely regarded as an influential Republican voice in Washington.
Goldman argued Cornyn's experience and relationships in the Senate would make him the most effective candidate for Republicans to send back to Washington.
"We need to return John Cornyn to the U.S. Senate," Goldman said. "I'm going to work as hard as I can to make sure that we do that."
The eventual GOP nominee will face state Rep. James Talarico in November after the Texas state lawmaker defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democrat primary.
Goldman said Talarico could pose a serious challenge in the general election, making it critical for Republicans to unite behind a strong nominee.
"He ran a picture-perfect campaign across the state of Texas," Goldman said, describing Talarico as "a very formidable opponent."
Goldman also commented on another notable Texas primary result — the defeat of Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who lost his congressional primary to state Rep. Steve Toth.
Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who rose to national prominence during his time in Congress, serves alongside Goldman on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Goldman said Toth's victory shows how important it is for incumbents to stay closely connected to voters back home.
"It's a lesson for all of us in Congress," Goldman said. "Don't ever forget the men and women back in the district."
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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