Politics
George Bush Reverses Course, Launches Effort To Help GOP Hold The Senate
Former President George W. Bush is lending his name to the GOP’s fight to keep the Senate, but the fundraising effort leaves out the Republican running for an open seat in his home state.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was absent from a Monday night fundraiser featuring Bush and hosted by Sen. John Cornyn, the incumbent Paxton defeated in this year’s Republican primary, The New York Times reported.
The George Bush appearance benefited Maintain the Majority, a PAC whose fundraising roster includes several Republicans facing competitive Senate races. Bush was billed as a “special guest.”
Paxton has beaten two members of Bush’s political circle in four years. Before ousting Cornyn as the GOP’s Senate nominee, he defeated the former president’s nephew, George P. Bush, in the 2022 Republican primary for Texas attorney general.
He is also one of three Senate candidates with close ties to President Donald Trump missing from the PAC’s list. Georgia nominee Mike Collins and North Carolina nominee Michael Whatley are not listed, either.
The omissions come as Republicans defend a 53-47 Senate majority, with Democrats targeting several GOP-held seats and little room for Republicans to absorb losses.
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Maintain the Majority lists Cornyn and Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Jon Husted of Ohio and Susan Collins of Maine as joint fundraising participants. Its roster also includes Republican Senate nominees Mike Rogers of Michigan, John E. Sununu of New Hampshire and Ashley Hinson of Iowa.
Minnesota Republican nominee Michele Tafoya joined the Monday event as a late addition, according to the Times.
Bush and Cornyn have had an uneasy relationship with Trump and candidates he supports, including Paxton. Former Bush senior adviser Karl Rove recently said he would vote for a Texas Democrat.
Cornyn, meanwhile, posted a reminder about the approaching election Monday morning without mentioning the Republican nominee seeking to succeed him.
“Early voting in Texas starts Monday, October 19, 2026 (28 days from today, September 21),” Cornyn wrote on X. “It runs through Friday, October 30. The 2026 midterms (Election Day) are Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — 43 days from today.”
Trump has a substantial fundraising operation of his own. MAGA Inc., now overseen by former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, has more than $415 million in cash on hand, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filing reported Sunday.
The latest Fox News Power Rankings classify the Senate contests in Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine and Alaska as toss-ups.
Democrats are pursuing Republican-held seats in Maine, Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, North Carolina and Texas. Republicans are looking for gains in Michigan, New Hampshire and Georgia.
The stakes extend beyond the Senate. Republicans also hold a narrow 218-214 House majority heading into midterms, which historically punish the president’s party. Keeping the Senate would give the GOP a critical check on Democrats during Trump’s final two years if the House changes hands.
