The possibility that Trump will cost the GOP the Senate is coming into focus

Donald Trump's choices about whom to back in Senate races may end up costing Republicans their majority in 2026, CNN reports, with Texas the clearest case and trouble also brewing in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Any one outcome may not hinge on him, but a close fight for control could leave his party regretting the decisions.

In Texas, Trump passed over Sen. John Cornyn and ultimately endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who won the May runoff. Paxton carries an impeachment and criminal charges, and polls show his favorability deeply negative. Democrat James Talarico has led him in several surveys, and Fox News found Talarico drawing a fifth of likely voters who had chosen Cornyn in the March primary.

Elsewhere, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says Trump's attacks drove his retirement, opening the way for Democrat Roy Cooper against Michael Whatley, whose ratings are also negative. In Georgia, Trump's pick, Rep. Mike Collins, faces revelations about apparent ties to white nationalists as he challenges Sen. Jon Ossoff. In South Carolina, the party is spending $5 million to protect Sen. Darline Graham, Trump's appointee, against Democrat Annie Andrews.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →