Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has now entered the last 100 days of his campaign for U.S. Senate, coming out as the top GOP Senate fundraiser during the current cycle. The Trump-endorsed GOP nominee’s campaign committee, Ken Paxton for Senate, pulled in a whopping $9 million in the second quarter, making it the largest single-quarter total announced by a Republican non-incumbent in the country.
The major milestone comes after more than a few GOP operatives and donors expressed their concern during the Texas Senate primary that Paxton becoming the nominee over the incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, could potentially put the party at a financial disadvantage. But it appears that Paxton himself will have the last laugh.
Most of Paxton’s second-quarter funds came within a month of his May 26 primary win, which indicates a rapid consolidation of support as the race moves on to the general election in November 2026. The fundraising haul also outpaced other top GOP Senate candidates across the U.S., including Ohio Republican Jon Husted, who brought in $7.7 million, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who brought in $5.7 million; North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who raised $5 million; and Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins and Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who each raised $2 million.
According to a report from The Daily Caller, the unbelievable $9.2 million haul also blew past the previous Republican fundraising record, which Cornyn, Paxton’s former opponent, held after he brought in $9 million during the first quarter. Now that Paxton has cleared the primary, he is set to face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November race.
Talarico’s committee, Talarico for Texas, brought in $30 million during the same time period, according to records from the Federal Election Commission. All of the financial data currently indicates that the Texas Senate race is going to be one of the most expensive in the country during this election cycle. While the numbers are strong, out of the 100 donors who gave at least $50,000 to Cornyn during the primary, none donated directly to Paxton.
Many of Cornyn’s major supporters, including members of the Perot family, Houston beer distributor John Nau, and Dallas real estate developer Harlan Crow — have not shifted their support to back Paxton, at least not monetarily, through June 30, 2026. Cornyn has stated he will not campaign for Paxton nor help him raise money, which isn’t surprising given that he referred to his opponent as a “con man” during the primary.
Polling data has revealed that the general election is likely going to be a close one, though Paxton is continuing to consolidate support among Republican voters after his primary win. Decision Desk HQ says the contest is currently a toss-up, with Paxton barely holding an advantage in the race to keep the seat from being flipped Democrat. MAGA supporters have referred to Cornyn in the past as a Republican In Name Only (RINO), which is a claim his lack of support for the clear nominee for the seat rings true.
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Watch Cornyn freak out as he got pressed on betraying Trump here: