Politics
NEW: ‘RINO’ Senator Gets Bleak Campaign Update As Primary Opponent Surges
One of the most formidable conservative challengers of the 2026 cycle may have left his incumbent challenger in the Texas dust.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) collected little more than tumbleweeds compared to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who claimed he raised $2.1 million more than his Republican primary opponent over the second quarter.
The news was announced by Paxton’s campaign in a press release viciously referring to Cornyn as “Little John.”
“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,” said Paxton. His campaign noted that it had raised more than any other in-cycle non-incumbent Republican 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?”
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 told The Hill.
Although Texas is far from becoming a blue state anytime soon, Democrats are salivating about the prospect of Cornyn, one of the top deputies to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for years, losing to a hard-right opponent in his primary.
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 wrote in a statement following the news. “I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”