MS NOW correspondent Rosa Flores was in Brenham County, Texas, on Sunday to speak to voters about Tuesday's Republican Senate candidate runoff between incumbent GOP Senator John Cornyn and controversial Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Flores spoke with a married couple, Gayla and Michael Stefan. Gayla is described as an independent voter while Michael is conservative.
Flores asked the duo for their thoughts on the two men on the ballot in Tuesday's Republican primary runoff to see who would face the Democratic candidate, James Talarico, in November.
You can see a clip from the interview here:
Michael Stefan responded to Flores' question saying:
"Well, it’s not a great choice, either one really. But I think I lean towards Paxton, for sure. He’s local. Cornyn hasn’t always been with the Republicans the way I would like. But it was a tough choice. But I did vote for Paxton on the runoff."
After Michael's comments, Flores asked Gayla:
"What are your thoughts about Paxton?"
Gayla was pretty blunt in her assessment, saying of Paxton:
"A crook. Yeah, that’s it, period. He’s just a crook."
Michael smiled and remarked:
"That's an independent talking."
Paxton, who has faced multiple personal and professional scandals while in office, was endorsed by MAGA Republican President Donald Trump the week before.
Before becoming Attorney General, Paxton was indicted for felony securities fraud for misleading investors. The charges were dropped in 2024 after Paxton completed a pretrial diversion program that required him to complete 100 hours of community service, take ethics training, and pay approximately $271,000 in restitution to his victims.
Once in office, like Trump, Paxton was impeached by the GOP-controlled Texas House of Representatives, but acquitted by the state Senate, after whistleblowers on Paxton's staff accused him of bribery and misusing his office to benefit a political donor who allegedly funded home renovations and provided a job for a woman Paxton was having an extramarital affair with.
Paxton was able to keep his job, but not his marriage. His wife of 38 years, Texas state Senator Angela Paxton, filed for divorce on "biblical grounds," accusing him of adultery.
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People found Gayla Stefan's independent thoughts on Paxton accurate.
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On Tuesday, Republican voters in Texas decided Attorney General Ken Paxton is the crook for them.
Paxton is projected to have defeated Senator Cornyn with 64% of the Texas GOP vote.
Paxton will next face Democratic candidate James Talarico in the November midterms to see who will take over Cornyn's seat in the United States Senate.
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