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Cornyn Won’t Fund Paxton’s Senate Campaign, Cites Weak Effort

8/29/2026

36 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced he will not raise money for Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign.
Cornyn called Paxton a lazy, poor campaigner.
He will redirect his fundraising expertise to competitive races in New Hampshire, Michigan and Alaska.
Cornyn received over 500,000 votes in the runoff, while Paxton won by 28 percentage points.

History

Historical Context

During the 1994 Republican Revolution, Republicans captured a 54-seat swing in the House and installed Newt Gingrich as Speaker, reshaping party fundraising and resource allocation. That intra-party clash over money set a precedent for today’s GOP funding disputes, where leaders must decide whether to back statewide officials or target competitive Senate races.

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Story summary

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced he will not raise money for Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign.
Cornyn called Paxton a lazy, poor campaigner.
He will redirect his fundraising expertise to competitive races in New Hampshire, Michigan and Alaska.
Cornyn received over 500,000 votes in the runoff, while Paxton won by 28 percentage points.

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