Story perspectives

Trump Praises Ken Paxton as Texas Senate Race Heats Up

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump visited San Antonio and called Ken Paxton “perhaps the greatest attorney general.”
Trump’s campaign contributed about $45 million to Paxton from its $400 million war chest.
GOP groups poured over $100 million into the Texas Senate race, total spending exceeding $200 million.
A Fox News poll shows roughly one-third of Republican likely voters view Paxton unfavorably.
Paxton warned on social media that losing Texas would “lose America” before a rally.

History

Historical Context

In the 1994 midterm election on November 8, the GOP, led by Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America, captured 54 House seats and eight Senate seats, ending a 42-year House minority and taking unified control of Congress for the first time since 1952. That nationalized campaign model created a fundraising infrastructure that now fuels intense intra-party contests, such as the massive GOP spending in Texas’s 2024 Senate race.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump visited San Antonio and called Ken Paxton “perhaps the greatest attorney general.”
Trump’s campaign contributed about $45 million to Paxton from its $400 million war chest.
GOP groups poured over $100 million into the Texas Senate race, total spending exceeding $200 million.
A Fox News poll shows roughly one-third of Republican likely voters view Paxton unfavorably.
Paxton warned on social media that losing Texas would “lose America” before a rally.

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