Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) criticizes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump-endorsed candidate in the Texas GOP Senate runoff, during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Tillis says Paxton “is a failure” and adds that he “doesn’t deserve to be in the U.S. Senate.” In the segment, Tillis frames the criticism as a judgment about Paxton’s qualifications and electability, contrasting Paxton with what Tillis says he would want from a Senate GOP standard-bearer.
The comments come as Paxton seeks to win the GOP Senate runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), with President Donald Trump backing Paxton. Tillis’s remarks represent a public break from the party’s preferred direction in the runoff, with Tillis speaking directly to the TV host Jake Tapper on the cable news program.
