Longtime GOP aide defects to Dem rising star as Texas Senate battle for Cornyn's seat heats up

Following his bombshell primary defeat in May, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is facing another blow as his longtime aide is crossing the political aisle to work for the Democrat candidate running to replace him in the upper chamber.

Former Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, backed by President Donald Trump, is running against Democrat state Rep. James Talarico in a crucial midterm election race that will decide the future of Cornyn's seat and could determine control of the Senate.

Jacob Smith, who worked for Cornyn for five years as a deputy legislative director and policy advisor, signed up to work on the Senate campaign for Talarico. The news was first reported by NOTUS and confirmed by Fox News Digital.

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Cornyn lost his re-election bid in an expensive and bitter primary runoff against Paxton earlier this year. The clash between the two Texas titans shaped up as a fight between the Republican establishment versus Trump's MAGA and America First supporters.

The general election face-off in red-leaning Texas between Talarico and Paxton is one of roughly a dozen that will likely decide if Republicans hold the Senate majority or if Democrats win back control of the chamber.

Instead of Smith opting to join the replacement Republican for Cornyn, he defected to back the Democrat running for the seat.

"I’ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s campaign," Smith wrote in a statement. "Instead of playing partisan politics, Talarico speaks to the needs of everyday people who day in and day out work too hard for too little."

Democrats haven't won a Senate election in Texas in nearly four decades, but they view Paxton as vulnerable because of the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. And Paxton is dealing with a messy divorce, with his wife citing "biblical grounds" based on "recent discoveries" in filing last year to end their marriage.

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And Smith took aim at Paxton in his decision to bolster Talarico's campaign, charging that the former AG "is the most corrupt, self-dealing politician in Texas who would sell their futures to the highest contributor just to hold onto power."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Paxton campaign for comment, but didn't receive a response at time of publication.

Cornyn has repeatedly noted since his runoff defeat that he would support the party's nominee, saying, "I've always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election."

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The cross-party switch by Smith is considered rare, and his addition to Talarico's team may potentially help the Democratic nominee as he reaches out to Republicans who may not be thrilled with Paxton as their party's nominee.

The most recent Fox News poll in the Texas Senate showdown, conducted late last month, indicated Talarico holding a slight 51%-48% edge over Paxton among registered voters.

The survey suggested that Paxton had yet to fully unite Republicans. While virtually all Democrats supported Talarico (98%), fewer Republicans were unified behind Paxton (89%).

Meanwhile, the latest Fox News Power Rankings, released on Tuesday, shifted the Senate race in Texas from Lean Republican to toss-up.