CNN Cherry-Picks Two Texas Republicans Who Say They Won’t Vote for Paxton

Talk about selection bias. 

CNN This Morning began its coverage today of Ken Paxton’s decisive victory over John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate primary runoff by airing Manu Raju's interviews on an Austin street with exactly two Texas Republicans who swore they won’t vote for Paxton. One even declared she will “absolutely” vote for Democrat James Talarico in November.

This is what passes for journalism at CNN these days. Hand-picked, cherry-picked, man-on-the-street interviews that conveniently fit the narrative the liberal network wants to push: that Paxton’s win is somehow fracturing the GOP and handing the seat to Democrats. Could anything be less scientific — or more revealing of CNN’s bias — than using two hand-picked interviews? Show us the outtakes, CNN! How many actual Paxton supporters did you interview before settling on just these two?

MANU RAJU: If Paxton wins the nomination, could you vote for him in the general election?

VOTER 1: Hell no.

RAJU: If he gets the nomination, Paxton, could you support him in November?

VOTER 2: No, absolutely not. No.

RAJU: Would you vote for Talarico?

VOTER 2: Absolutely.

Paxton won 63.8 percent of Republican voters, and even the Cornyn voters who say "absolutely" to voting for Talarico has to be an even smaller minority. But CNN host Audie Cornish did the wishcasting: "A landslide victory for Ken Paxton in Texas, but can the Republican nominee now get John Cornyn voters on his side?"

Cornish kept hope alive for Democrats by citing Georgia’s election of two Democratic senators as a precedent. Bad analogy. In Georgia, Trump was so upset by state officials’ refusal to help challenge the 2020 presidential vote that he urged Republicans not to vote in the Senate runoffs. No such dynamic exists in Texas. Trump will be urging Republican souls to the polls. And Paxton's overwhelming victory indicates the base is fired up -- not discouraged, as it was in Georgia.

At the end of the segment, Cornish returned to the theory on display in the opening man-in-the-street interviews, saying it’s “not been proven that these Republicans who get upset with the MAGA candidate magically decide that they’re going to vote [for him.] They just might not.” Bubble thought above Audie's head: "I hope, I hope, I hope."

Cornish also complained about Paxton's mockery of Talarico's wacky leftist comments: "I noticed the ones when it comes to Talarico are pretty familiar, talking about past statements related to trans rights, talking about past statements, I don't know, accusing him of being a vegan, which I didn't know was an accusatory act now punishable by law."

The man is running against meat-eaters -- in the nation's undisputed biggest beef-cattle state. 

Texas Republicans just delivered a clear message by nominating Paxton in a blowout. Trump’s endorsement helped seal it. But instead of analyzing the populist shift or the rejection of longtime establishment figures like Cornyn, CNN immediately went looking for dissenters to sow doubt. It’s the same tired playbook: amplify the country-club GOP discomfort while ignoring the broader victory for the base.

This kind of lazy, biased gotcha coverage is exactly why trust in legacy media remains in the gutter. Paxton won fair and square. Texas voters spoke. CNN just doesn’t like the answer.

Here's the transcript.

CNN This Morning
5/27/26
6:01 am EDT

REPORTER: If Paxton wins the nomination, could you vote for him in the general election?

VOTER 1: Hell no.

REPORTER: If he gets the nomination, Paxton, could you support him in November?

VOTER 2: No, absolutely not. No.

REPORTER: Would you vote for Talarico?

VOTER 2: Absolutely.

AUDIE CORNISH: All right, a landslide victory for Ken Paxton in Texas, but can the Republican nominee now get John Cornyn voters on his side?

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and we are gonna start with this, with John Cornyn, another Senate incumbent fallen. He lost his primary to Trump-backed opponent Ken Paxton, and Paxton already looking to November and his new foe, Democrat James Talarico.

KEN PAXTON: Some people know him as Tofu Talarico. Some people call him Six Gender Jimmy. I've even heard some people call him James Talafreako. He can never become our senator, but I need your help. We know James Talarico is going to raise more money than any Democrat in America.

CORNISH: I wanna turn to what happens now, when you look like you have the two candidates for the general. And Terry, since you're here, you know a thing or two about writing an ad for Republicans, okay? And I noticed the ones when it comes to Talarico are pretty familiar, talking about past statements related to trans rights, talking about past statements, I don't know, accusing him of being a vegan, which I didn't know was an accusatory act now punishable by law. Here is how Talarico has generally sort of sold himself in his pro ads, right, when he's saying, "Hey Texans, this is who I am," this is the kind of commercial he's running.

JAMES TALARICO: When I was 28, I almost died. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. When I picked up my first insulin prescription, it cost me $684. I couldn't afford that. Most Texans can't either. So when I got to the Texas House, I took on Big Pharma and capped insulin at $25 a month.

CORNISH: So some of the stuff he mentions in here, whether it's Big Pharma or and so-- these are things Republicans have been talking about. So is there a lane for him? Is there a Cornyn voter that's gonna be won over by this messaging?

TERRY SCHILLING: Well, first of all, I don't think so. We've been told, in 2008, in 2014, in 2020, and now in 2026, that Texas is gonna turn purple and then turn blue. It's just not gonna happen. The demographics aren't there. The state is very conservative, it's Christian oriented. And with Talarico, you have a candidate. I know, I know, you, you're shocked that they're calling using tofu against him. But this is Texas, and I've spent a lot of time in Texas and invested a lot of money in Texas elections. That's actually devastating for him. You need someone, if the Democrats really wanted to take out any Republican that in the state, Ted Cruz or even Paxton, they would nominate an oilman. They would nominate someone that's out there working on the oil rigs, not some leftist professor, leftist teacher from Austin who says that the incarnation of Christ justifies abortion.

CORNISH: I've heard all your fighting words -- Austin. It's crazy. Teacher, yuck. 

SCHILLING: But they'd be better off going with an oil man. 

CORNISH: Because I'm sure you guys -- True, Texas is the white whale for Democrats. Also true, Trump backed candidates that didn't do so well in a state like Georgia, a southern state, where maybe the demographics weren't supposed to work out in his favor, and now there are Democratic senators there.

It's not been proven that these Republicans who get upset with the MAGA candidate magically decide that they're going to vote [for him], yeah, they just might not.