# Mark Halperin: Why Ken Paxton’s Texas Victory Could Reshape the 2026 Senate Map

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/mark-halperin-why-ken-paxton-s-texas-victory-could-reshape-the-2026-senate-map
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/mark-halperin-why-ken-paxton-s-texas-victory-could-reshape-the-2026-senate-map.md
Podcast: [The Smerconish Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155)
Published: 2026-05-29T20:07:37+00:00
Episode link: https://www.siriusxm.com
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/sxm.simplecastaudio.com/d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b/episodes/7d55f81e-1e84-48f4-91ac-a7ee33c9fdda/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b&awEpisodeId=7d55f81e-1e84-48f4-91ac-a7ee33c9fdda&feed=Dv1m2CJC
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Duration seconds: 1763

## Resource

Michael Smerconish is joined by political analyst Mark Halperin to unpack Ken Paxton’s decisive Texas primary victory, what it means for the 2026 Senate landscape, and whether Democrats truly have a shot at a statewide breakthrough. They also discuss President Trump’s calculus in backing Paxton, the challenges facing Democrat James Talarico, and the growing uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Iran relations. Original air date 29 May 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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## Transcript

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