Trump-Backed Paxton Wins Texas GOP Primary

Summary of Trump-Backed Paxton Wins Texas GOP Primary

by The Wall Street Journal

13m•May 27, 2026
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Overview of What's News (WSJ) — Trump-Backed Paxton Wins Texas GOP Primary

This Wall Street Journal AM edition covers a mix of U.S. politics, legal battles over redistricting, global markets, chip-industry developments, public health planning around Ebola, digital privacy legislation in Canada, and growing European anxiety over Russia’s intentions beyond Ukraine. The lead political story is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Trump-backed victory over Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary runoff.

Key Political Stories

Texas GOP Senate primary

  • Ken Paxton defeated incumbent John Cornyn to win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.
  • Trump’s endorsement was portrayed as the decisive factor in tipping the race.
  • Paxton shifted quickly to the general election, attacking Democratic nominee James Tallarico as a proxy for national Democrats.
  • Democrats see the race as one of their best chances to make Texas competitive in a Senate contest.
  • A major question now is whether Republicans can unite behind Paxton after a bruising primary and amid anger from some Senate Republicans over Trump’s decision to back Paxton instead of Cornyn.

Redistricting and election rulings

  • A federal court blocked Alabama from using a congressional map it said was intentionally discriminatory in upcoming special primaries.
  • The state must instead use previously approved race-blind maps from the 2024 election, though an appeal is likely.
  • In South Carolina, the GOP-controlled state Senate rejected a plan pushed by Gov. Henry McMaster to cancel an ongoing congressional primary and redraw maps to remove a Democratic stronghold.
  • The push for new maps had also drawn pressure from Trump and his advisers.

Markets and Business Highlights

China industrial profits and European auto sales

  • China reported nearly 25% year-over-year industrial profit growth for April.
  • Gains were driven by:
    • Stronger oil refining results
    • A sharp rebound in metals profits
    • Demand tied to AI and green-energy products
  • European auto sales data showed two major themes:
    • Tesla is rebounding somewhat
    • Chinese brands are gaining rapidly, especially BYD, which is now larger than Tesla in Europe
  • Chinese automakers are benefiting from:
    • Competitive pricing
    • Strong EV/hybrid offerings
    • Access to China’s large battery and supply-chain ecosystem
  • The Chinese brands named as rising players included BYD, Geely, Chery, SAIC, and Leapmotor.

Semiconductor sector updates

  • SK Hynix joined the trillion-dollar market cap club, alongside names like NVIDIA and TSMC.
  • Its stock rose sharply on:
    • Higher memory prices
    • Tight supply of high-performance computing chips
  • This follows similar milestones for:
    • Samsung
    • Micron
  • Samsung also avoided a labor disruption after unionized workers approved a new bonus pay deal, averting a possible strike that could have affected global chip supply.

Global Health and Policy

U.S. Ebola response plan in Kenya

  • The U.S. is reportedly preparing to send public health officials to Kenya to staff a possible quarantine facility.
  • The facility would handle Americans exposed to or infected by a rare Ebola strain spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • This marks a shift from past outbreaks, when exposed Americans were typically brought back to the U.S. for monitoring or treatment.
  • Officials say:
    • There are no known Ebola cases in Kenya
    • The site still needs final approval from the Kenyan government
    • The CDC says the public risk remains low
  • The WHO is warning that the outbreak is one of the largest on record and is outpacing the global response.

Canada privacy and surveillance debate

  • Apple and Google warned Canadian lawmakers that a proposed law could weaken privacy and security.
  • They argue the bill could force product changes that enable greater surveillance and compromise encryption.
  • Signal said it would rather leave Canada than comply.
  • Canadian officials say the law is needed to modernize criminal investigations and improve access to digital evidence.
  • The bill is also backed by Canada’s police chiefs.

Europe and Russia

Fears Russia could widen the war

  • The journal reports rising concern in Europe that Vladimir Putin may be considering actions beyond Ukraine, especially against NATO territory.
  • Russian threats and intimidation have escalated, including:
    • Publicly listing defense-industry addresses across Europe as potential targets
    • Alleged sabotage and arson attacks on defense manufacturers
  • Journal correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov said Russian leaders may be testing whether the U.S. and NATO would actually respond if Russia attacked countries such as:
    • The Baltics
    • Finland
    • Sweden
    • Norway
  • The discussion connected this to:
    • Trump’s rhetoric about NATO
    • The possibility of reduced U.S. troop planning in Europe
    • Europe’s energy shock and political fallout
  • Trofimov noted this could be a risky miscalculation for Putin, who is already facing a protracted war, domestic dissatisfaction, and severe sanctions.

Main Takeaways

  • Trump remains a powerful force in Republican primaries, as shown by Paxton’s Texas win.
  • Election maps and redistricting battles remain highly active, with courts and state legislatures fighting over congressional boundaries.
  • Chinese industrial and tech-linked sectors are showing resilience, while Chinese automakers continue to gain ground in Europe.
  • The semiconductor boom continues, with memory-chip makers and AI-related supply chains benefiting.
  • The U.S. is preparing for a more globalized public health response to Ebola.
  • European security fears are deepening as Russia signals possible escalation beyond Ukraine.