Texas was not expected to be an epicenter of midterm elections that could reshape the final chapters of Donald Trump’s second presidency.
uncertain
that → expect → presidency
But Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are making final weekend blitzes in a tossup U.S. Senate race that has become one measure of voters’ frustration with Trump’s leadership and his party.
asserted
that → make → leadership
Paxton, the longtime state attorney general who defeated Republican Sen. John Cornyn earlier this year with Trump’s help, warned voters against restoring Democratic control of Capitol Hill.
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who → defeat → Hill
“The left in this country keeps getting more and more radical,” Paxton said Saturday morning in Fort Worth.
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Paxton → get → Worth
The election, he told his supporters, will “go down to the wire” and is about rejecting “every dangerous idea that Democrats across the country are putting forward right now.”
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Democrats → tell → country
Talarico, a state lawmaker, was to rally support in Houston later Saturday.
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Talarico → rally → Houston
The closing sprint in Texas comes as early voting nears its conclusion in several states.
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voting → come → states
Early balloting totals were approaching 50 million heading into the weekend.
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totals → approach → weekend
About 112 million voted in total in the 2022 midterm elections.
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million → vote → elections
Trump will be on the phone, not on stage
The president was stepping away from in-person rallies Saturday in favor of virtual events.
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president → step → events
He was scheduled to call into six tele-rallies after spending the morning and early afternoon at the golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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He → schedule → Beach
Trump’s MAGA Inc., super PAC said that telerallies were lined up for races in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Michigan and two separate calls for Florida.
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telerallies → say → Florida
The White House released few details on what to expect, but the president generally participates in such calls — a departure from his rally speeches, which often stretch for 90-plus minutes.
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which → release → minutes
“Answer your phones, and ENJOY!” Trump posted Saturday on his social media site.
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Trump → answer → site
The president has blitzed the closing weeks of October with rallies across the country, including in states he won comfortably in each of his three campaigns.
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he → blitz → campaigns
On Sunday, Trump is set to hold rallies in Iowa and Kansas that were scheduled, pulled down and then rescheduled.
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that → set → Iowa
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who would become speaker if Democrats win a House majority, was in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District campaigning with former Rep. Elaine Luria, who is in a rematch with Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans.
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who → become → Kiggans
Luria lost her seat to Kiggans four years ago.
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Luria → lose → Kiggans
“We’re going to fight hard each and every day for an affordable America,” Jeffries said.
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Jeffries → go → America
In Virginia, Jeffries previews Democratic control
He hammered Republicans for filling a “graveyard of broken promises” and repeated his pledge to hold votes on reversing Republicans’ healthcare cuts, pass sweeping voting rights laws and limit Trump’s military actions on Iran.
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He → preview → Iran
“Beginning on day one, we’re going to hold the crooks accountable,” he said, previewing aggressive oversight of the Trump administration.
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he → begin → administration
He specifically named Trump’s Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, who has rankled Democrats and Republicans, among other actions, with his overhaul of military leadership and dismissals of top generals and other officers.
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who → name → generals
“In the majority, one of the first things we are going to do is run Pete Hegseth out of town,” Jeffries said, drawing perhaps the loudest roar of his 11-minute speech.
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Jeffries → go → speech
Democrats are targeting at least 60 seats.
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Democrats → target → seats
Trump won many of those by double digits in 2024.
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Trump → win → 2024
Republicans lean into extreme labeling of the left
House Speaker Mike Johnson answered in a Michigan tossup district with dystopian warnings about Democrats.
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Johnson → lean → Democrats
“It’s a spiritual battle,” the outspoken conservative Christian speaker said, suggesting Republican voters owe it to a higher power to vote.
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voters → ’ → power
“I know God does not hold us responsible for the results, but he does hold us responsible to be faithful in our duty,” Johnson said, as he framed Democrats as a godless party.
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he → know → party
It’s their ideology,” he said.
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he → ’ → ?
“The communists, as you know, murdered tens of millions of innocent people in the 20th century alone.
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you → know → century
That is not who we are in America, and it will not happen on our watch.”
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it → happen → watch
Paxton, beset by years of controversy but backed by Trump, has followed a similar script of dire warnings and again on Saturday cast Talarico as the frontman for a far-left agenda and Washington powerbrokers like Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York.
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Paxton → beset → Jeffries
“I’m not exaggerating when I say, if we lose Texas, we lose America,” Paxton said.
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Paxton → exaggerate → America
“That’s what we’re fighting for.
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we → ’ → what
This is our time, our moment to draw our line in the sand that generations of patriots drew before us.”
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generations → draw → us
He urged Republicans to match enthusiastic early voting turnout from Democrats.
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He → urge → Democrats
Then he made one more entreaty.
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he → make → entreaty
“Pray for our Texas,” he said.
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he → pray → Texas
Trump has leaned into anti-Muslim rhetoric, focusing in particular on Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who faces Republican Mike Rogers in one of this year’s most competitive Senate races.
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who → lean → races
On Saturday, the president posted on social media an Islamophobic cartoon of a man with a flaming torch knocking on the door of the United States after setting fire to countries in Europe.
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president → post → Europe
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
