Trump endorsed Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate at the national Republican midterm convention in Dallas in September. Trump praised Paxton while also saying some may not like how he dresses or talks. Paxton has served as Texas attorney general since 2015 and defeated U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the May Republican primary runoff.
Paxton began his career in the Texas House in 2002, representing the McKinney area for five terms. In 2011 he challenged Joe Straus for House speaker, then withdrew after a preliminary vote showed Straus had more Republican support. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 2012 and won the 2014 Republican runoff for attorney general against Dan Branch.
Josh Blank, research director of UT Austin's Texas Politics Project, said Paxton has consistently courted the most conservative voters. Paxton now faces Democrat James Talarico in what is described as a fiercely competitive Senate race.