Here’s what happened.
A major Republican feud in Texas is spilling into the general election as Sen. John Cornyn publicly criticizes GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton and refuses to help raise money for President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate.
Cornyn, who lost to Paxton in a hard-fought Republican primary runoff earlier this year, says he still wants the GOP to maintain control of the Senate. But the longtime Texas senator is making it clear that he believes Paxton must do more to earn the support — and financial backing — needed to defeat Democrat James Talarico.
The dispute comes at a critical time for Republicans as they work to protect their Senate majority and defend a seat in a state that has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator in decades.
During an interview with The Texas Tribune, Cornyn delivered a particularly harsh assessment of Paxton’s campaign.
Cornyn criticized Paxton’s campaign operation, arguing that he has not worked aggressively enough on the trail, struggled to bring in sufficient fundraising, and failed to give voters a persuasive reason to support him. He added that Paxton’s approach was making the race unnecessarily difficult.
The comments reveal that divisions created during the Republican primary have not disappeared — even with control of the Senate potentially hanging in the balance.
Texas Senate Race Raises Republican Concerns
Under normal circumstances, Republicans would enter a statewide Texas election with significant historical advantages.
Texans have not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988.
But Republicans cannot necessarily afford to take this race for granted.
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average cited in reports, Talarico holds a narrow advantage of roughly two percentage points over Paxton.
Polls can change considerably before Election Day, particularly in a closely divided contest. Still, the numbers help explain why Republican leaders are paying close attention to what is happening in Texas.
A Democratic victory would carry national consequences because every Senate seat matters when determining which party controls the chamber.
For President Trump, maintaining a Republican Senate majority could be especially important for advancing his administration’s priorities and confirming nominees.
That makes the continuing Republican dispute particularly consequential.
Democrats Hold Major Fundraising Advantage
Paxton’s difficulties are not limited to polling.
Talarico has also established a substantial financial advantage.
Campaign committees supporting the Democrat have reportedly raised approximately $72 million, including $31.6 million during the most recent quarter ending in July.
Paxton’s campaign committees, meanwhile, have reportedly raised about $16.8 million overall, including $9.3 million during the latest quarter.
Fundraising does not determine an election by itself. But money gives campaigns the ability to purchase television advertising, reach voters online, organize volunteers, conduct polling and build turnout operations.
That makes the size of the reported financial gap difficult for Republicans to ignore.
Cornyn’s defeat may have created another problem.
Some prominent donors who previously backed the longtime senator have reportedly remained on the sidelines following the Republican runoff.
Paxton could benefit considerably from bringing those Republicans back into the fold.
Cornyn, however, argues that Paxton’s political operation has made little effort to do so.
Cornyn argued that Paxton’s allies have made virtually no effort to connect with Texas Republicans who identify with the party’s more traditional, mainstream wing.
His criticism highlights a larger question facing the GOP: Can Republicans who fought bitterly during the primary reunite before voters make their final decision?
Trump Goes All-In For Paxton
President Trump has already made his position clear.
Trump backed Paxton during the Republican primary and has continued supporting him in the general election.
The president appeared at a Houston fundraiser for Paxton on Thursday as he increases his involvement in Republican midterm campaigns.
Trump’s support proved politically valuable during the primary, when Paxton defeated Cornyn despite the senator’s long history in Texas politics.
Cornyn now argues that Trump and Paxton’s supporters should shoulder more of the financial burden of winning the general election.
“He could write a check if he wanted Paxton to be the nominee, with all his wrinkles and warts — then it’s a simple solution to that,” Cornyn said.
The comment illustrates how deeply the Republican primary battle continues to influence the general-election campaign.
Rather than immediately rallying behind the Republican nominee, Cornyn is openly criticizing Paxton’s political strategy while putting responsibility for fixing the situation on Paxton and his allies.
A Republican Civil War With National Stakes
The tension reflects a broader divide that has existed inside the Republican Party for years.
Trump has reshaped the GOP by elevating candidates and policies favored by the party’s populist conservative base. At the same time, Republicans associated with the party’s more traditional establishment continue to hold influence among major donors and longtime political organizations.
The Texas Senate contest is bringing those two wings of the party into direct conflict.
Primary elections are often bruising affairs. Once a nominee is selected, however, political parties generally try to unite around that candidate for the general election.
That process appears to be proving difficult in Texas.
For conservative voters, the dispute could have consequences extending far beyond the personalities involved.
The eventual winner will participate in Senate votes involving taxes, federal spending, border security, energy policy, judicial confirmations and other major national issues.
And if control of the Senate is closely divided, a single seat could become enormously important.
Cornyn Warns Of Possible Republican Disaster
Cornyn himself is sounding the alarm.
“This is unfortunately shaping up to be a close and I hope not disastrous election,” he said. “But it ain’t looking good right now.”
Coming from a four-term Republican senator from Texas, that warning is difficult to dismiss.
The situation also presents Paxton with a complicated political challenge.
He must energize the conservative voters who helped him defeat Cornyn while also attracting Republicans who supported his primary opponent.
At the same time, his campaign must compete against a Democratic opponent with a substantial reported fundraising advantage.
Trump is attempting to help.
Cornyn, however, is showing little interest in personally rescuing his former rival.
Why The Texas Race Matters
The bigger story is ultimately not whether Cornyn and Paxton like each other.
It is whether Republicans can put their primary divisions aside quickly enough to protect a Senate seat they have controlled for decades.
Texas remains one of the most important states in Republican politics, and losing a statewide Senate race there would send shockwaves through the GOP.
It could also alter the balance of power in Washington.
Trump has already invested his political capital in Paxton and is making clear that he wants his endorsed candidate in the Senate.
Cornyn is taking a dramatically different approach.
Instead of quietly moving past their primary battle, the veteran Republican is publicly questioning Paxton’s campaigning, fundraising and ability to unite the party.
Whether those comments motivate Republicans to act — or deepen the divisions left behind by the primary — could become one of the biggest questions surrounding the Texas Senate race.
With Election Day approaching, Republicans may soon have to decide whether old political grudges are worth risking a Senate seat that the party has held for nearly four decades.