President Donald Trump's supporters started lining up at 2:30 p.m. for a last-minute campaign rally at San Antonio's Freeman Coliseum on Wednesday evening.
Trump was in town rallying support for two candidates who owe their political careers to the president, and are now facing tougher-than-expected races in red territory this November.
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Paxton is trailing Democrat James Talarico in recent polls — a nightmare scenario for national Republicans trying to defend a large number of incumbents on the Senate map this year.
Trump endorsed Paxton over U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) just as voting started in their primary runoff, after national Republicans had already spent tens of millions of dollars protecting Cornyn.
Meanwhile Carlos De La Cruz, the GOP nominee in Texas' 35th Congressional District, is in a tough race for a district that was drawn specifically to elect a Republican.
Republicans only redrew Texas' congressional districts at Trump's urging, and he swooped in at the last minute to back De La Cruz over popular state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), who the district was originally drawn for.
Now weeks out from the election, Trump is working to excite his supporters for both hand-picked candidates in a state he won overwhelmingly just two years ago — amid GOP apathy without him on the ballot.
Meet Carlos De La Cruz, the Air Force veteran Trump boosted from obscurity in TX35
Wednesday's rally was Trump's fourth time in Texas in six weeks, and his PACs are now some of the biggest spenders in Texas races as the GOP fights to hold onto its majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
"I'm very proud of [Paxton], and I think he's going to be an unbelievable senator," Trump told the crowd after being interrupted multiple times by protesters. "… We also need to collect a proud 20-year Air Force veteran to Congress, Carlos De La Cruz."
Outside of the Freeman Coliseum, supporters winding through the security weren't particularly interested in either of the down-ballot candidates.
They came decked out in Trump T-shirts, hats, earrings and even costumes — and many said they were there to see one man only.
"This is a historic event for us here in San Antonio," said Jesse V., a 32-year-old from Comal County, who asked to withhold his last name because of his left-leaning employer. "I'm super excited to support the greatest president. This is my first rally."
Brooks Chastain, from Northeast San Antonio, said he chose the rally as his birthday wish this year so he could see the president.
He turns 15 next week, and after finding out about the rally online, lobbied his mom and stepdad to take him.
"What I'm hoping to hear from our president is how good of a country he's running right now," Chastain said. "The protesters on the street keep crying and crying, but it's not going to change the fact that Donald Trump's our 45th and 47th president."
Inside the rally, Trump made no bones about the situation.
He won Texas with more votes than any candidate in the state's history, he said, and needs supporters to vote like he was on the ballot this year, too.
"Pretend that I'm on the ballot because we get a lot more votes," he told the crowd. "In a way, we are on the ballot, because let's face it, they're going to destroy everything that we've done [if Democrats are elected.]"
But Republicans this year face many challenges replicating Trump's success.
He swept a number of traditionally blue border counties, in part due to President Joe Biden's handling of the migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Now that issue is no longer as high on voters' minds — and many have grown concerned about immigration enforcement tactics going too far the other direction.
Paxton recently told donors that Trump's time visiting Texas had been a drag on the rest of the GOP ticket, citing high gas prices and the war in Iran.
Protestors started gathering outside early Wednesday morning, while inside the rally, Trump sought to revive some of his greatest hits.
He streamed videos of old TV newscasts depicting migrants at the border, and even brought on stage a woman whose son had allegedly been killed by an undocumented immigrant.
Trump also sought to depict Texas' Democratic candidates as weak, and embarrassing to a state that prides itself on toughness.
"[This state] produced legends like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis, who fought for the Alamo," Trump said. "Those Texans would be rolling over their graves at the mere sight of Talarico trying to become a senator from Texas."
The teasing and name-calling on Wednesday extended to De La Cruz's Democratic opponent, Johnny Garcia, as well.
Garcia is a longtime Bexar County sheriff's deputy who wears a hat as part of his uniform, but De La Cruz suggested the Democrats "put a cowboy hat on him like it's Halloween" so voters would think he's a moderate.
In another South Texas race Republicans hoped to win, Trump stressed his support for the candidate running against U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo).
Republican Tano Tijerina was a top recruit for the GOP, but Trump took some of the wind out of his sails when he pardoned Cuellar from charges of bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.
On Wednesday, Trump said he only did so because Cuellar's daughters begged him, and he fully supports Tijerina.
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