Texas Republicans back Trump over Iran - but some wary of 'a quagmire'

Texas Republicans back Trump over Iran - but some wary of 'a quagmire' Just now Share Save Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent, Waco, Texas Share Save The US strikes on Iran may be the biggest story around the world, but in Texas – where voters head to the polls on Tuesday to select the Democratic and Republican nominees in November's midterm congressional elections – it appears mostly to be an afterthought. At least for now. At a banquet hall in the central Texas town of Waco on Monday, Ken Paxton, the Republican state attorney general running for the US Senate, made a pitch to voters that was heavy on domestic red meat for his conservative audience Immigration, government spending and gun rights were top issues. Iran was mentioned in passing, as Paxton praised Americans for making political change with ballots not bombs. After the event, Paxton spoke to reporters, who pressed him on his views on the ongoing military conflict. The candidate, who has a firmly established reputation as a Donald Trump loyalist, did not break ranks with the US president. "I am very glad that he did it," he said. "Iran is a great threat to our country." Follow live updates on this story The Senate primary fights are the marquee matchup in Texas on Tuesday, with contested races for both the Democrats and Republicans. While those on the left have been comfortable criticising Trump and his decision to launch the Iran operation, Republicans have tended, like Paxton, to offer praise of Trump and then move on to other topics. Senator John Cornyn, the incumbent who is being challenged by Paxton, said Trump took "decisive action". Congressman Wesley Hunt celebrated Trump accomplishing "peace through American strength" in a Saturday afternoon post on X. Among many of the Waco rally attendees, that was a common theme. Marcia Michael said she believed Trump was playing "five-dimensional chess" by finally addressing the threat that Iran had posed for decades. "I think we recognise that we c...