Outside the Beltway

Friday’s Forum

· Friday, March 6, 2026 · 9 comments

FILED UNDER: Open Forum
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter and/or BlueSky.

Comments

  1. Scott says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 08:03

    Now this is getting fun watching Trump manipulate Texas senators.

    Trump pressure mounts as Paxton floats Senate race exit

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton signaled Thursday he could be open to dropping out of the heated Republican Senate primary against John Cornyn—but only if Senate Republicans agreed to major concessions.

    Paxton said he would consider exiting the race if GOP leadership abolished the Senate filibuster—the 60-vote threshold required to advance most legislation—and passed a measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

    His comments came a day after Donald Trump said he would soon endorse a candidate in the Texas Senate primary and urged whichever contender he does not back to drop out.

    In a post on X, Paxton attacked Cornyn and accused the media and Republican establishment of spreading misinformation about him.

    “John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill,” Paxton wrote, adding that he has been among Trump’s most loyal allies and is committed to helping advance the former president’s agenda.

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  2. Rick DeMent says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 08:11

    @Scott:

    It would be funny if Cornyn did pledge to support the abolishment of the filibuster and, by some magic the Dems took over the senate.

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  3. Charley in Cleveland says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 08:27

    It wasn’t that long ago that Texas had both the dumbest senator (John Cornyn) and the dumbest rep (Louie Gohmert), but those gents lost their titles long ago to abject clowns like Ron Johnson and Lauren Bohbert, and even those two have to fight to maintain their titles with the likes of Markwayne Mullin* and James Comer knocking on the door.

    *Soon to be the dumbest DHS secretary.

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  4. Scott says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 08:33

    Rep. Tony Gonzales drops reelection bid amid pressure over affair scandal

    Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, dropped out of his primary runoff Thursday, heeding calls from House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP members to end his reelection bid amid revelations that he had an affair with an aide who died by suicide.

    “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a statement posted on social media. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”

    The third-term congressman admitted the affair on Wednesday, the day after he finished second to challenger Brandon Herrera in the Republican primary for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Gonzales initially denied rumors of the affair, and resisted calls to drop out or resign after the San Antonio Express-News published a text in which the aide acknowledged the affair. Explicit texts between Gonzales and his then-aide came to light soon after, showing the congressman asking for a “sexy pic” and persisting despite her assertion he had gone “too far.”

    Is it my imagination that Republicans (and maybe Democrats) are highly selective on who they demand resignations?

    I actually found Tony Gonzales fairly tolerable for a Republican congressman.

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  5. CSK says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 09:07

    @Charley in Cleveland:

    You forgot Tommy Tuberville, hands down the dumbest legislator ever. Anywhere. Anytime.

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  6. Jax says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 09:29

    Well, we successfully managed to make it back home. I really over-estimated my energy levels being away from home for 8 days. 😉

    Confirmed to have Stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine carcinoma variety by two human doctors. With treatment I might get a few more years, without treatment, 6-12 months. Huntsman’s and OHSU will collaborate on it, I will try a couple treatments out here in Wyoming at Huntsman’s, but speed up my moving plans to get to Oregon. I prefer the doctor out there.

    Big thanks to Cracker for meeting me for dinner and a coffee, and phone call from Luddite! I wish traffic hadn’t been so bad you couldn’t make it for coffee, Luddite! We’ll have another chance, I suspect.

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  7. CSK says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 10:11

    @Jax:

    Get the treatment, girl. We’re with you all the way.

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  8. Michael Cain says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 10:50

    @Scott:
    The prediction markets currently have Cornyn as a huge favorite to win the runoff. Paxton is probably just trying to get something in exchange for saving Cornyn the campaign expenses.

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  9. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:
    Friday, 6 March 2026 at 11:02

    @CSK:..

    Thinking of you.
    Be well.

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