Overview
- Ken Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff on May 26 and is now the Republican nominee who will face Democrat James Talarico in November.
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee filed joint fundraising paperwork with Paxton’s campaign this week and several Republican senators hosted fundraisers to help close a large fundraising gap.
- President Trump has said he will hold rallies for Paxton and is reported to meet with him in Washington, signaling direct White House involvement in the campaign.
- Talarico is running an active multi-city tour and has reported far stronger early fundraising than Paxton, making the contest more competitive than it would have been with Cornyn.
- Paxton’s long-running legal and personal controversies, including a 2015 securities indictment, a 2023 impeachment and a divorce trial that had public proceedings canceled on June 2, are the vulnerabilities Democrats plan to highlight and that worry GOP operatives about costly rescue spending.