Hi there. Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Ryan Nobles. Right now, voters are heading to the polls in Texas for a slate of primary runoffs that could end up deciding control of Congress this November.

The marquee event tonight is the Republican Senate runoff between four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

It represents another test of the president's power over his party after the president

made a late endorsement of Paxton, a controversial candidate, over Cornyn.

Mr. Trump saying in his endorsement that Cornyn, a staunch supporter of the president's agenda,

hasn't been loyal enough.

The move prompted blowback from some Republicans and warnings that a Paxton matchup

against Democratic candidate James Tilarico could put the seat and the Senate majority at risk.

Senator Cornyn is trying to mitigate the president's endorsement of his opponents, playing up his support for the president's agenda as recently as this morning.

President Trump is certainly very influential and in the Republican Party, particularly the runoff.

But the truth is, I've been, you know, an ally of the presidents.

So there's no incompatibility there.

And I think my experience gives me a chance to do things for the president and for Texans that a newbie could not do.

I've supported the president's agenda the whole time that he's been president.

So I think I could be the most help to the president and his agenda in the last two years of his

term of office.

Cornyn has also attacked Paxton over his controversies in the closing days of this race.

Paxton, however, has largely begun to pivot to the general election, taking the president's support as a sign of imminent victory.

The fact is that Texans have learned the hard way that you can't trust Ken Paxton.

Ken Paxton will be an albatross.

He could well lose, but even if he doesn't lose, he will win by such a razor-thin margin

that it's likely to have a negative drag on the down-ballot races in Texas.

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