Washington, DC — Today is primary day in Texas, and everyone is on high alert watching for what will happen in the messy GOP race. So far, in what has been one of the messiest GOP primaries of the cycle, the GOP candidates have spent heavily on TV attacking each other. They also didn’t hold back at last week’s debate, either. In fact, they did an amazing job of tearing each other apart, with the Texas Tribune calling it an “all-out brawl.”

CNN’s Gregory Krieg reported on the unfolding dynamics in the race – and especially AG Ken Paxton’s legal and political troubles. He writes, “The most hotly contested statewide primary in Texas on Tuesday centers on the future of state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican who spearheaded a notorious failed legal challenge to the 2020 election results and, with a slew of corruption allegations hanging over his campaign, is now facing the prospect of being pushed into a runoff for the GOP nomination.”

He goes on to say, “as election day nears, and early voting continues, the challengers have ratcheted up attacks on one another, as they jockey for second place.”

“Paxton won reelection in 2018 despite being under indictment for securities fraud going back to 2015. That case remains unresolved and, as Bush alluded to during the debate, there is a possibility Paxton could face more legal trouble before the year is out,” reports CNN.

The New York Times also covered the primary race, with NYT’s David Goodman writing, “The litany of political vulnerabilities facing the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, would appear to seriously imperil his bid for a third term. There is the indictment in state court for securities fraud. Accusations of bribery and corruption. Senior aides turned whistle-blowers. An ongoing federal investigation.”

“In the waning days of the campaign, attacks have flown freely. Mr. Paxton has traded barbs with Mr. Gohmert. Mr. Bush and Ms. Guzman have gone after each other,” writes Goodman.

No matter what happens tomorrow, one thing’s for sure: all of these candidates have spent their time and money tearing each other down, focusing on their far-right base, and none have showed voters how they would put Texas first. It’s a big, ugly, GOP mess in Texas.

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