Down in Texas, there’s an extraordinary Senate race unfolding between a deeply flawed candidate and a very surprising Democrat. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton overcame long-tenured incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary thanks to President Donald Trump’s endorsement, despite a long history of scandal. That background and Trump’s remarkable unpopularity have helped put the state within reach for James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker and pastor who maintains a steady but narrow lead in the polling. So this week, Trump rode down to the Lone Star State in an attempt to rescue his chosen candidate.
Vanity Fair’s Washington correspondent Aidan McLaughlin went down there too, and followed Paxton on his “Come and Take It Tour,” which culminated with a Trump rally in Corpus Christi. Photographer Mark Peterson joined him to capture the scenes. Here are the very best images from their jaunt across a state that could well determine whether Democrats seize control of both houses of Congress on Tuesday.