Trump Rallies for Ken Paxton in Deadlocked Texas Senate Race, Floats Venezuela as 51st State
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 27
Trump Rallies for Ken Paxton in Deadlocked Texas Senate Race, Floats Venezuela as 51st State
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 27
Summary
Corpus Christi and Lubbock became Trump’s final-week Texas stops as he tried to energize Republicans for Ken Paxton in a Senate race a Fox News poll showed tied with Democrat James Talarico.
At the Corpus Christi rally, Trump repeatedly joked about making Venezuela the 51st state, pointing to a tanker near the port carrying 1 million barrels of Venezuelan oil he said was reaching the U.S. at no taxpayer cost.
Trump also brought Alexis Nungaray onstage, where the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray thanked him for keeping her daughter’s story in public view after the 2024 Houston murder.
The appearance underscored how competitive Texas has become in the midterm stretch, with Trump returning to a state he carried by nearly 14 points two years ago to shore up a race Republicans expected to hold comfortably.
Beyond the '51st state' joke, can Venezuela’s aging oil sector actually deliver the production surge needed to match the promises made in Texas?
If Venezuelan crude is flooding Gulf Coast refineries again, who truly benefits most—U.S. energy security, Venezuela’s economy, or the little-known players behind the deal?