Voting and election activist Scott Presler is savage. No two ways about it. There has been a lot of mockery, jealousy, and shade thrown at him over the years, but through Presler and his Early Vote Action organization, the man renders results. The most recent result: helping to primary incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Americans have overwhelmingly supported the passage of the SAVE America Act, and Cornyn could have used his supposed relationships and influence to help get that done. Instead, he ignored the will of his citizens; now, he's out of a job. Presler did the work on the ground alongside other Texas activists to see this come about.
All you had to do was pass the SAVE America Act.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) May 27, 2026
Yesterday, state AG Ken Paxton crushed Sen. John Cornyn in the #TXSen Republican runoff.
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) May 27, 2026
At 36%, Cornyn had the worst showing for an incumbent in a head-to-head primary or runoff since 1974. pic.twitter.com/6z34ynVWtq
Along with the schadenfreude, Presler rightly took a victory lap at the Paxton watch party on Tuesday.
WATCH:
VICTORY!
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) May 27, 2026
Congratulations to our Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton!
24-year incumbent Senator John Cornyn has been DEFEATED in a complete blowout!
This is a political earthquake that will shape the Senate for years to come.
Pass the SAVE America Act! pic.twitter.com/eF4VKFQbFt
Note what Presler just said.
1. This win for Paxton is a political earthquake.
2. The Senate will be permanently shaken.
3. The Republican Party is also permanently shaken.
Bottom line: It's no more business as usual for the GOP, despite the Republican establishment's best efforts to pretend that nothing has changed.
Presler never rests on his laurels. The peripatetic activist is now off to Maine to do the same work on behalf of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) that he did on behalf of Ken Paxton. After Tuesday, I bet Collins is relieved he is on her side.
Read More: Morning Minute: The DNC May Turn a Blind Eye to Their Autopsy, but the GOP Should Take Notes
Trump Praises Paxton, Delivers Perfect Nickname for Talarico - Once You See It, You Can't Unsee It
But something this earthquake has permanently shaken loose is the insistence that one person — or one group — owns an elected seat. As the establishment Republicans who are wondering what happened go through the wreckage of Cornyn's defeat, one thing comes to the fore: The people have spoken loudly and clearly — these are our seats, and if you do not do the bidding of the people, we will take them back.
More of this is needed, not less. And if Presler and others continue to evangelize at the grassroots, what happened in Texas and Louisiana will become the norm, not the exception.
This is what the critics fail to understand: Presler and other organizations like TPUSA Action actually get on the ground and connect with the voters. Not depending on poll testing, selected rallies, and high-priced donor dinners, but actual shoe-leather. Having done a microcosm of the canvassing that others have done, I can attest that it makes a huge difference in not just awareness, but turnout.
It also incorporates the important element of being seen. People don't feel forgotten, are given the impression that they matter, and this translates into a desire to make a difference with their vote.
This work that Presler and others do on the regular affirms and reinforces to the American people that their vote and their actions matter and can change the trajectory of a race, as it did for now Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
On his X feed, Presler highlighted two examples of how this made a difference in this Paxton race. One was a woman who, despite having been hospitalized before election day, managed to come out to vote.
Barbie just got out of the hospital from breaking her back
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) May 26, 2026
& voted in person for Ken Paxton.
If Barbie can do it, so can you.
+2🟥 for Paxton in Collin County, TX pic.twitter.com/fLbcfixewT
Another young woman named Texas Girl tagged Presler in her post about how her sick mother wanted her vote counted, and her family moving heaven and earth to allow that to happen.
@KenPaxtonTX, @bennyjohnson, @atensnut, @LauraLoomer
— Texas Girl (@Zengirl1922) May 26, 2026
Scott, my mom, YahChannah Wolf, who is 86 years old and has adenocarcinoma of the lungs was hospitalized night before last. As she got better, the biggest disappointment was that she couldn't vote today in Texas. I… pic.twitter.com/1BDttHPeO0
@KenPaxtonTX, @bennyjohnson, @atensnut, @LauraLoomer
Scott, my mom, YahChannah Wolf, who is 86 years old and has adenocarcinoma of the lungs was hospitalized night before last. As she got better, the biggest disappointment was that she couldn't vote today in Texas. I called the Republicans of Texas, who told us how to get a sick & disabled form. My sister had to go get the form, bring it to the hospital for her doctor to sign proving she was ill, then bring the signed doctor's form back to the election place! THEN she had to bring the ballot back, follow all proper procedures and our beautiful Mom voted! THEN my sister returned the ballot to the election headquarters. All that for her ONE vote. If an 86 year-old woman with incurable cancer can go to all that trouble to vote, so can the rest of us! So proud of her!
This line is the kicker: If an 86 year-old woman with incurable cancer can go to all that trouble to vote, so can the rest of us!
Exactly. Complacency is the bane of our representative republic, because it is a tacit refusal to take responsibility for our role in the process. Yes, election integrity and reform are still sorely needed, which is why Presler and other election activists are keeping the SAVE America Act in the forefront, despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-SD) intransigence. They realize that not much more can be done to change the country if people continue to abdicate or offshore their vote to others. Democrats have already decided what they will do with your vote, and only an engaged and voting electorate can stop it.
From the collective mourning across legacy media and the GOP-e, you would think this shakeup is the worst thing for America. Instead, it is signaling a sea change toward a better America.
Presler continues his savage tour, announcing this email he sent to Leader Thune's scheduling office. If the SAVE America Act is not put forward by Thune, Presler has committed to doing the same work he did in Texas in South Dakota, on behalf of the candidate who plans to challenge Thune for his seat.
Sent an email to @LeaderJohnThune’s scheduler this morning. pic.twitter.com/gRWJM23YJI
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) May 27, 2026
We can, and should, be taking lessons from Presler and the people of Texas, who refuse to abdicate the fight, their vote, or the country.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member