Wednesday, October 7, 2026

The Republican distancing game begins

President Donald Trump is in San Antonio tonight as he plans to campaign for Ken Paxton, his preferred candidate for Senate in Texas.

Paxton, of course, staked his campaign on being the MAGA choice in the Republican  primary. But the president is increasingly unpopular with a host of demographics that Paxton needs to win in the Lone Star State.

Primarily among them are Hispanic voters, who are especially angry about the rising cost of living and Trump's restrictive immigration approach and mass deportation policies. San Antonio is almost 65 percent Hispanic, with a large working-class population like the type that broke for the president.

Still, Paxton can't afford to distance himself from Trump and needs to convince his voters not to support Democratic nominee James Talarico. By contrast, Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, is skipping the shindig as he faces a difficult race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. 

Trump's unpopularity is why a Reuters analysis found that roughly two-thirds of Republican candidates in high-stakes races across the country are distancing themselves from Trump.

Even in Florida, which has supplanted Texas as the home base of the conservative movement, Republican nominee for governor Byron Donalds wiped references to the president from his website. 

In swing states, it's even tougher. On Tuesday evening, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the most endangered Republican incumbent, attempted to distance herself from the president while Democratic nominee Troy Jackson sought to paint her as a rubber stamp for Trump. 

Expect some of the same to happen tonight in the Iowa Senate debate, where Republican nominee Ashley Hinson has called for an end to the Iran war, which is driving up diesel prices for farmers. Expect her opponent, Democrat Josh Turek, to hammer her for that and the president's tariffs. 

Read more here. 

By Eric Garcia

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