Texas Senate runoff, Muslim day, Taylor Sheridan: This week’s opinion roundup

This week, the Star-Telegram Opinion staff tackled a Texas Senate primary runoff, a canceled Muslim community event and even a TV showrunner who has worn out his welcome. Here’s a quick guide to the columns and editorials shaping the conversation:

• Columnist Bud Kennedy argues Texas Republicans are reviving an old playbook by stoking outrage over a “Muslim Family Day” planned for June 1 at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie, after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull state funding and organizer Muhammad Abdullah vowed he’s “not backing down” — read why Kennedy says that the GOP needs a new bogeyman heading into election season.
• The Star-Telegram Editorial Board urges Republicans not to nominate Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn when early voting in the May 26 primary runoff begins Monday. The board warns that Paxton is “compromised, corrupt” and could require up to $100 million to fend off Democrat James Talarico — see the full case for why Paxton is a bad choice for Texas, the GOP and Trump.
• Opinion editor Ryan J. Rusak pens a tongue-in-cheek breakup letter to Fort Worth’s own Taylor Sheridan ahead of the debut of “Dutton Ranch,” confessing he can’t keep up with the Sheridan-verse and that Rip and Beth Dutton have morphed from antiheroes into something closer to serial killers — find out which Sheridan show Rusak still refuses to give up.
• Rusak also breaks down a University of Houston poll showing Paxton edging Cornyn 48% to 45% in the GOP runoff, plus a Texas Public Opinion Research survey with Talarico leading Paxton by 5 points and Cornyn by 3 — and weighs whether the well-funded Democrat could land on a 2028 presidential ticket in his Texas Senate rundown with 178 days until the general election.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.