Trump-backed Ken Paxton wins Texas AG primary, leaving last Bush in elected office without a job

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Tuesday successfully fought off a primary challenge from Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, meaning the last member of the Bush political dynasty in elected office will soon be without a job.

Paxton's victory, projected by the Associated Press, is also a victory for former President Donald Trump, who endorsed the attorney general for reelection. Trump saw his pick in Georgia's governor race lose Tuesday night. 

"Things didn’t go as we planned. But after the tragic events of earlier today, it’s important to keep life’s temporary disappointments in perspective," Bush said in a statement Tuesday. "There are grieving parents in South Texas today.  My family and I are grieving with them."

DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 11: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC held at the Hilton Anatole on July 11, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. CPAC began in 1974, and is a conference that brings together and hosts conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders in discussing current events and future political agendas.  (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) (Brandon Bell)

Paxton is best known nationally for trying to legally upend the 2020 presidential election results and for his aggressive actions in taking on President Biden’s administration in court. But he is saddled with a slew of corruption allegations as he seeks a third four-year term as Texas attorney general.

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Bush, twice elected to statewide office as Texas land commissioner, is the last elected member of his family’s political dynasty — which over four generations has produced two family members who rose to become president, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, and one who became a senator, Prescott Bush. 

Texas Land Commissioner and Republican attorney general candidate George P. Bush campaigns in Victoria, Texas on May 18, 2022 (George P Bush campaign)

Paxton topped Bush by 20 points in the March 1 primary, with former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and Rep. Louie Gohmert finishing third and fourth. But the attorney general failed to crack 50%, which forced him into a runoff with the second-place Bush. 

BUSH DYNASTY ON THE LINE AS GEORGE P. BUSH TRIES TO UPSET TRUMP-BACKED KEN PAXTON

Paxton will likely face Democrat Rochelle Garza in November’s general election. The progressive former American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawyer from Brownsville is the clear front-runner in the Democratic runoff for Texas attorney general.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton campaigns in Gilmer, Texas on May 19, 2022 (Ken Paxton campaign)

No Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.

There are a number of congressional primaries, but the one grabbing attention from coast to coast is the Democratic showdown in Texas’ 28th Congressional District, which stretches to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

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Moderate Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar is facing a second straight primary challenge from progressive firebrand Jessica Cisneros, who enjoys the backing of top figures from the left, including Sen. Bernie Sanders. 

Cuellar, who narrowly edged Cisneros in the 2020 primary, is facing even more heat with the Supreme Court likely next month to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling. Cuellar’s anti-abortion posture has draw fire from many Democrats nationwide.