Former President Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Land Commissioner George P. Bush in the state’s Republican attorney general primary on Monday.
Trump criticized a statement calling Paxton a true Texan who will keep Texas secure. He also praised the attorney general’s stances on gun crime, border security, and “election integrity”.
“Attorney General Ken Paxton has been bravely on the front line in the fight for Texas, and America, against the vicious and very dangerous Radical Left Democrats, and the foolish and unsuspecting RINOs that are destroying our Country,” Trump said. “It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again.”
There has been speculation about who will get the seal of approval from the former president in this race. Trump hinted at an endorsement in May, saying that he enjoyed them both very much.
Paxton, one of Trump’s most loyal allies in Texas’ Lone Star State is leading the charge to defeat President Biden in four states.
George P. Bush is the son of Jeb Bush (former GOP primary opponent) and was the only prominent family member to support Trump for president in 2016. Bush, the younger Bush often spoke out about his connections to the former president. He tweeted in May, that he had spoken to Trump over the phone and discussed “how we are continuing the fight to put America First”.
The younger Bush announced his candidacy for attorney general last month, drawing attention to Paxton’s legal issues.
“Enough is enough, Ken,” he said at his campaign kickoff event in June. “You’ve brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to this office.”
An FBI investigation is underway into allegations that Paxton abused his position to help a wealthy donor.
George P. Bush slammed Paxton in a tweet after news broke of Trump’s endorsement.
“I’m running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas’ top law enforcement official,” he tweeted. “Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments.”
