An incumbent Republican senator may have just been left in the dust in the state of Texas by his primary challenger for the 2026 midterms. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is not doing well when it comes to fundraising. Especially compared to his competition, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Paxton claims he raised over $2.1 million more than Cornyn during the second quarter of the year. Fairly massive number, right? An announcement about their fundraising success was published by Paxton’s campaign in a press release. As if the guy hadn’t already had his hopes shot down, they annihilated him into bits by calling him “Little John.”
Ouch.
“The fundraising numbers paint a very clear picture. The movement to fire John Cornyn has more enthusiasm right now than any other Senate campaign in America,” Paxton said in his statement. The campaign then pointed out that it had raised more money than any other in-cycle non-incumbent member of the GOP last quarter.
“There’s nothing about the lies that ‘Little John’ fed the media on Monday that can change the fact that his campaign committee couldn’t even raise $1 million last quarter, let alone the $3.9 million he claimed. I’d encourage every reporter in America right now to reach out to John Cornyn to ask him this simple question: Are you really that bad at math or did you purposely mislead the public about the truth?” The statement added.
But here’s where the plot thickens, according to Trending Politics News:
However, in a dueling press release sent out on Monday, Cornyn’s campaign declared that it had actually outraised Paxton’s, bringing in $3.9 million for Q2 across his campaign and affiliated super PAC. The fourth-term senator entered July with $8.9 million on hand, far from enough to advertise in top-dollar markets like Dallas and Houston.
“We are confident that we are on track to have the necessary resources to communicate to Texas GOP primary voters about Senator Cornyn’s conservative record and provide facts about Ken Paxton’s repeated mismanagement of his office, ethical failures and funding of radical left wing groups with taxpayer grants,” Cornyn campaign manager Andy Hemming said in an interview with The Hill.
Republicans in Washington, D.C., are also discomfited by that possibility. In a sign of how seriously the party’s establishment is taking the race, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) met with President Donald Trump last week to discuss the possibility of getting directly involved in some of the key Senate contests, especially in Texas.
To be sure, Paxton has his own handicap in the race. Last week his wife of 38 years, State Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce on “biblical grounds,” alleging infidelity by the attorney general during his 2023 impeachment trial. Paxton was cleared of bribery charges, but it became clear that he was intimately involved with Laura Olson, a former employee of his firm.
“I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren,” Paxton said after the news broke. “I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”
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