Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over his Republican primary challenger, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush.
Both men had been angling for Trump's backing, but Paxton – an ardent supporter who filed a failed lawsuit challenging Trump's November election loss — won out. In a statement, Trump said Paxton has "my complete and total endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safe — and will never let you down!" Paxton is under indictment for securities fraud and being investigated by the FBI for abuse of power.
Bush is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who sparred with Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Despite Trump's digs at his father and other relatives, Bush has been vocal about supporting him, and told CNN last month that "politics is a contact sport. We're at a stage in our state where, you know, we can't let a mean tweet get in the way of doing the right thing."
Paxton's legal woes are a big part of Bush's campaign. When he announced he was running for attorney general, Bush said Paxton "brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to this office. It's time to go." After Trump made his endorsement on Monday, Bush tweeted, "I'm running for attorney general because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas' top law enforcement official. Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments."