Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Maine progressive Graham Platner, the Senate nominees from opposite ends of the political spectrum, converged on Washington on Tuesday in parallel efforts to consolidate party support for campaigns that leaders in both parties worry could cost them winnable seats in the November midterms.
Paxton’s itinerary included a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, where the two posed for a photograph in the Oval Office. The visit came after Paxton won Trump’s coveted endorsement and went on to defeat longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Republican runoff last month.
Senate Republicans have privately expressed concern that Paxton, who as Texas attorney general has endured an indictment, a state impeachment and public disclosure of marital infidelity, could prove a weaker candidate against Democratic nominee James Talarico in the general election, the Associated Press reported.
Platner, a Democrat who upset establishment-backed candidates in Maine’s primary, made the trip to Washington as Senate Democrats weigh whether his unorthodox campaign — built in part through trivia nights and happy-hour events — can defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a state Trump narrowly lost.
Both candidates’ visits come as control of the Senate hangs in the balance for the final two years of Trump’s second term. A shift of even one or two seats could determine the legislative agenda on issues ranging from judicial confirmations to federal spending priorities.
Paxton’s meeting with Trump marked the latest chapter in a relationship that reshaped Texas Republican politics. After months of withholding an endorsement in the primary, Trump threw his support behind Paxton, a move that effectively sealed Cornyn’s defeat in a state where the president remains overwhelmingly popular with Republican primary voters.
Platner’s path has been more uncertain. The Associated Press reported that he faces concerns from within his own party about his general-election viability. Those concerns were amplified by the disclosure of leaked private Facebook messages that drew criticism from some Democratic figures. Meanwhile, industry groups opposed to his platform have begun advertising against him in the state.