Bacon calls Paxton nomination a mistake, warns Texas seat is at risk

Rep. Don Bacon said Texas Republicans made a "mistake" by nominating Ken Paxton over John Cornyn, arguing the party had traded away a winnable Senate seat for a fight it may now struggle to manage. Bacon said Donald Trump’s endorsement often carries the most weight in Republican primaries, but he warned that the Paxton choice could leave the GOP exposed in the general election.

The Nebraska Republican said Cornyn "could have won the seat easily" and that Republicans would now have to spend a lot of money to hold it after Paxton defeated Cornyn in the Texas GOP runoff on May 26. Bacon’s criticism matters beyond Texas because it points to a broader question facing Republicans in 2026: whether loyalty to Trump is still overriding candidate quality, even in races where the party could otherwise hold a seat more comfortably.

Bacon used the interview to draw a sharp distinction between his own approach and the party’s most strident voices. He said he tries to "call balls and strikes," adding that he supports Ukraine, opposes tariffs, backs border security and supports the administration’s approach on Iran. On Iran, Bacon said the country has been "waging war against us for 47 years," underscoring how firmly he still frames foreign policy in national security terms rather than trade or isolationist politics.

That foreign policy posture has remained central to Bacon’s final year in office. His office said on June 4 that he helped lead the bipartisan Ukraine Support Act and delivered the decisive signature needed to force a House vote on the measure. Bacon’s House website also featured a June 4 post calling the moment a "Churchill vs. Chamberlain" moment and a May 19 post on Iran and U.S. troop posture in Europe, reinforcing how prominently he has staked his public profile on questions of war, deterrence and American credibility.

Bacon announced on June 30, 2025 that he would not seek reelection and would retire at the end of the 119th Congress on January 2, 2027. That makes his comments on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan more than a passing critique of Texas politics. They read as a last-year warning from a Republican who has stayed aligned with his party on border security and defense, while breaking with Trump-era orthodoxy on tariffs and Ukraine at a moment when those divides continue to shape the party’s future.