Austin, Texas - Trump's decision on Tuesday to endorse Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate could end up benefiting Democratic candidate James Talarico, who is enjoying a huge poll surge.

In a statement released to social media, Trump called on longtime incumbent GOP Senator John Cornyn to step down while praising Paxton for being "extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT."

The decision to endorse Paxton was made only a week before Texas Republicans head to the polls for a runoff primary election on May 26, and is a move that may derail Cornyn's reelection bid.

The move came as Democratic candidate Talarico appears to be gaining momentum in the polls, and Trump's endorsement might not hurt his chances in the race.

China China keen to work with US to slash tariffs and end Trump's trade war for good

Kalshi market polling, which predicts the likelihood of various electoral outcomes, is now putting the run for Texas Senate tied at 50% between Talarico and whoever ends up clinching the GOP nomination.

Earlier in May, the Republican candidate was favored to beat Talarico at 57%.

The other impact of Trump's endorsement is that the likelihood of Paxton beating Cornyn and securing the GOP endorsement have shot up significantly, 93.1% to 6.9%.

Polling reported on by USA Today yielded similar results, but found Talarico was the most favorable among the three candidates, with a rating of approximately 46%.

Polls suggest that if Talarico were to face off against Cornyn, however, he would likely lose by about one percent. Comparably, a Paxton–Talarico race would be tied at 45% each.

In a statement responding to Trump's endorsement, Talarico said "it doesn't matter who wins this runoff."

"For decades, John Cornyn and Ken Paxton have embodied a broken politics that enriches wealthy donors while costs skyrocket for the rest of us."