I hesitate to call a situation as messy and embarrassing as this one hopeful, but when it comes to Texas politics, the bar has historically been set lower than the deepest offshore drilling operation. We have to take our wins where we can get them. Whether state Republicans consider Paxton a genuine threat to the remaining shreds of their party’s integrity or simply want to end a public relations nightmare, for once they’re actually doing the right thing for all Texans. And the implications for the nation writ large are massive.

The potential for Paxton’s impeachment, and the resultant GOP infighting, to shake up the party’s stronghold on Texas is real. Following Paxton’s impeachment, a 2021 interview he gave to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon began making the rounds anew on social media. In it, Paxton brags that, but for his successful suppression of votes in reliably Democratic Harris County in 2020, Texas would have turned for Biden, and “Donald Trump would’ve lost the election.”

Texans already know — practically better than anyone else — the lengths to which Republicans will go and have gone to block left-leaning voters from casting ballots. But Paxton’s comments, and his possible departure, make the stakes as clear as could be. Texas’ size, economic influence and diversifying demographics make the Paxton impeachment one of the highest-impact examples of a national disenfranchisement story that’s played out for decades, from convoluted gerrymanders to tighter and tighter voting restrictions. ....

What’s happening in Texas shows us just how thin the line is between the potential for progressive change and more of the same old right-wing repression. Things will almost certainly get worse before they get better, which is why leadership from folks who’ve seen a hell of a lot of “worse” is more important than ever.