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George W. Bush Skips Trump-Backed Texas Senate Candidate at Fundraiser
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Core Event: Bush Appears at Cornyn Fundraiser Without Ken Paxton
Former President George W. Bush attended a Dallas fundraiser on Monday night hosted by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) for the “Maintain the Majority” political action committee. The event featured a slate of incumbent and primary GOP Senate candidates from states such as Iowa, Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota and Maine, but Ken Paxton, the Trump-endorsed Texas attorney general who defeated Cornyn in the 2022 Republican primary, was not listed among the participants. The New York Times and Fox News reported that the gathering was intended to boost midterm Senate campaigns, yet it deliberately omitted the controversial Paxton.
Background & Context: 2022 Primary Upset and Paxton’s Controversies
In the 2022 primary, Paxton unseated Cornyn by a margin of several hundred thousand votes, marking the most expensive GOP Senate primary to date. Paxton’s tenure has been marred by a 2023 impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives on accusations of corruption, bribery and obstruction of justice; the Texas Senate later acquitted him. His personal life also attracted scrutiny after his wife filed for divorce citing “biblical grounds.” Multiple polls cited by The Daily Beast show Democratic candidate James Talarico leading Paxton in a race that could determine whether Democrats flip the Texas Senate seat for the first time since 1988.
Official Statements & Responses
Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters emphasized the party’s confidence in Paxton’s electability, noting Paxton’s prior statewide victories and describing Texas as “ruby red.” Establishment figures such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune have publicly backed Cornyn over Paxton, citing concerns that the latter’s polarizing profile could jeopardize the GOP’s hold on the seat.
Verbatim Quotes
- “You got to remember Ken Paxton won this state a couple of times in the general – he won a primary against a strong incumbent that's been there for a long time by a couple hundred thousand votes,” — Joe Gruters, national committee chair
- “People want this race to be the biggest race in the country, but it really won't be because, at the end of the day, Paxton has proven time and time again that he's a winner; he's a winner in this state. Texas is ruby red,” — Joe Gruters, national committee chair
- “Texas is a massive state, a lot resources from California are pouring in because these California liberals like Talafreako, but I don't think it's going to help him at the end of the day,” — Joe Gruters, national committee chair
- “The GOP has a growing number of Bo Frenches—and not only in Texas,” — Paxton. Karl Rove, a former senior presidential advisor to Bush, recently