Good afternoon from Washington, where this week all eyes are on Texas.
Roseanne Barr was drumming her hands on the stage in front of her, belting out Laura Branigan’s “Gloria.” It was 80 degrees on Tuesday night in Plano, Texas, but Barr was decked out in gold gloves, a gold shirt, and tinted sunglasses. She had reason to revel: The sitcom star turned MAGA luminary was front row at the victory party for Ken Paxton, the scandal-plagued state attorney general who just won the Republican nomination for US Senate against all odds.
Paxton trounced the incumbent, John Cornyn, in a runoff for his seat, which means he’ll go on to face Democrat James Talarico in the general election.
Trump backed Paxton, whose baggage is heavy: He was impeached but acquitted on charges including bribery and unfitness for office, and criminally indicted on securities fraud charges, but avoided going to trial after he reached a deal with prosecutors. (As part of the deal, Paxton did not admit guilt, but he was required to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution. Paxton denies all allegations.) His wife recently filed for divorce on “biblical grounds,” which is King James English for cheating.
Talarico, meanwhile, is a 36-year-old seminarian with the bedside manner of a Sunday school teacher. Republicans have sought to cast him as an effete extremist. Trump keeps saying “he wants six genders” and that he’s a vegan, a crime punishable by political death in the Lone Star state. Talarico, who is not a vegan, has cooked up a pithy riposte to this attack: “I’m an eighth-generation Texan. I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.”
The question now is whether Paxton’s toxicity will be enough to deliver Democrats their first statewide win in 30 years—and possibly control of the Senate with it.
Texas is one of several races that will determine control in Washington this November.
Read on for a Vanity Fair guide to the midterm elections—the races to watch, the key dates, the latest polls, and whom to keep an eye on.
PLUS: Jill Biden’s book tour kicks off.
Also mentioned in this issue: Tom Kean, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Tommy Vietor, Cecilia Vega, Bari Weiss, Sharyn Alfonsi, Spencer Pratt, Steve Hilton, Donald Trump Jr., Ryan Fournier, and more.
Got tips? Hit the Party Animals hotline: aidan_mclaughlin@condenast.com. Or text me—my personal number is 917-817-8266. Complaints will be buried in the Ken Paxton oppo file. Praise will be belted out by Roseanne at a midterms victory party.
