President Trump signaled on Wednesday that he would soon endorse one of the two candidates in the Republican Senate runoff in Texas, appearing to heed calls within the G.O.P. to defuse what is expected to be a bruising and expensive race.
In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump said that he would call for the candidate who does not receive his endorsement to “immediately DROP OUT” of the contest, which is headed to a May 26 runoff.
“Is that fair?” Mr. Trump wrote. “We must win in November!!!”
Neither Senator John Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term, nor Ken Paxton, the scandal-ridden Texas attorney general challenging Mr. Cornyn from the right, received a majority of the vote in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Less than 2 percentage points separated the rivals in a pivotal contest that could ultimately determine whether Republicans maintain their narrow majority in the Senate in November.
James Talarico, a Democratic state legislator, emerged from on the Democratic with decisive victory over his rival, Representative Jasmine Crockett, giving him a clear path to the November election.
Democrats are hoping that Mr. Talarico can win a Texas Senate race for the party for the first time since 1988.
It was not immediately clear if Mr. Trump, as a condition of choosing sides, would require Mr. Cornyn or Mr. Paxton to pledge that they would leave the race should they not receive his endorsement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
“Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough,” Mr. Trump wrote in his post. “Now, this one, must be PERFECT!”
Mr. Trump also boasted that his endorsements have been “virtually insurmountable!” He added: “Almost everyone I Endorse WINS, and wins by a lot, especially in Texas!”
Neil Vigdor covers breaking news for The Times, with a focus on politics.
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