Texas Republican Ken Paxton Steps Up His Senate Bid

DALLAS — Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton was scheduled Monday nighttime to make his first quality astatine a run rally since announcing his U.S. Senate candidacy 10 months ago, portion of his effort to unseat four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn and adhd a MAGA devotee to nan Senate — a bid that has group up 1 of this year’s astir contentious GOP primaries.

Paxton has been waging a lower-wattage campaign, spending comparatively small money and drafting attraction chiefly by pursuing blimpish causes arsenic nan authorities lawyer general. But pinch early voting scheduled to commencement Tuesday for nan March 3 primary, Paxton is scheduled to make stops crossed Texas this week. He besides has begun airing ads linking him pinch President Trump arsenic he takes connected Cornyn and Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Despite being nan target of millions of dollars successful onslaught ads from Cornyn and his allies, and guidance from Senate Republican leaders who opportunity Cornyn is nan stronger campaigner successful a wide election, Paxton is heading into nan GOP superior pinch nan look of his party’s front-runner.

“I wish they’d extremity sending money from Washington, D.C.,” Paxton told “Fox News Sunday.” “They are sending nan money from D.C., and they’re helping John Cornyn. And it’s going to beryllium ... a batch of money spent, and he’s going to extremity up losing.”

Paxton’s governmental endurance would look to defy convention, overmuch for illustration Trump’s did. Paxton hit impeachment connected fraud charges successful 2023, and coming is shadowed by claims of marital infidelity made by his wife, authorities Sen. Angela Paxton.

The three-term lawyer wide is betting that defiance of his party’s leaders and fierce litigation for blimpish priorities will thief him flooded ethical and individual questions that voters successful nan Republican-leaning authorities have, astatine slightest until now, forgiven.

Stepped up campaigning

Paxton’s four-day bid of rallies this week is being put connected by Lone Star Liberty PAC to publicize nan commencement of early voting successful Texas.

His erstwhile run stops were lower-profile events, including region GOP gatherings pinch different candidates. He traveled to 5 Texas assemblage campuses successful nan autumn to speak pinch Turning Point USA chapters aft nan blimpish Christian group’s nationalist founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated.

But until this week, that’s fundamentally been it for Paxton’s nationalist run efforts, extracurricular of a fistful of podcasts pinch friends hosts.

Until Friday, nan only tv advertizing connected Paxton’s behalf successful Texas, according to nan ad-tracking work AdImpact, was a spot that attacked Hunt, a two-term House personnel from nan Houston area. Like Paxton, Hunt is trying to entreaty to superior voters looking for an replacement to Cornyn.

By criticizing Hunt, Paxton friends are trying to peel disconnected immoderate of his voters successful hopes of winning 50% of nan superior ballot — nan period needed to triumph nan GOP information outright. If nary campaigner receives 50%, nan apical 2 finishers would beforehand to a May 26 runoff.

Paxton’s run began airing an advertisement Friday that features video clips of Trump praising Paxton and images of them together. Trump arsenic of Monday has not endorsed immoderate of nan 3 Republicans successful nan race.

Paxton has relied connected his agency successful Austin to stay astatine nan halfway of blimpish efforts.

Last year, he sued Texas physicians complete claims they violated nan state’s prohibition connected gender-affirming attraction for minors.

In October, conscionable weeks aft Trump implored pregnant women repeatedly, “Don’t return Tylenol,” Paxton sued nan symptom reliever’s manufacturers for deceptive trading and asserted unproven claims that early vulnerability to its progressive constituent accrued risks of autism.

Most notably, Paxton led galore ineligible challenges against nan Biden management complete migration and separator policies, often succeeding and burnishing his credentials arsenic a blimpish crusader. Paxton, who was elected lawyer wide successful 2014, besides sued nan Obama management regularly.

“I deliberation Ken Paxton is simply a fighter,” said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), adding that Paxton had sued nan Biden administatrion much than immoderate different U.S. lawyer general.

The dependable watercourse of litigation has kept Paxton successful nan headlines successful Texas, arsenic Cornyn and his friends person spent heavy to effort to bloody his image among Republican superior voters.

As of Friday, Cornyn’s run and allied ace PACs had spent much than $54 cardinal connected tv advertizing since past year, according to AdImpact. Much of it was reminding voters of Paxton’s impeachment and his wife’s divorcement declare connected “biblical grounds,” alleging extramarital affairs. The groups person spent millions much connected integer ads, matter messaging and nonstop mail, besides attacking Paxton.

In 1 ad, sponsored by Texans for a Conservative Majority, a narrator says astatine nan outset, “Ken Paxton isn’t conscionable corrupt. He’s weird.”

Senate GOP leaders are worried

Republican Senate leaders successful Washington person been sounding sounded an siren astir Paxton for months. They opportunity Paxton arsenic nan GOP nominee would require hundreds of millions of dollars much to take sides successful a wide election, fixed expected attacks, than Cornyn would. And they opportunity that’s money nan statement shouldn’t person to walk successful Texas, a authorities Trump carried by complete 13 percent points.

Democrats must nett a full of 4 seats to overtake Republicans’ Senate mostly successful November. The number statement is expressing renewed assurance successful vying for Republican-held seats successful Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio.

In Texas, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and authorities Rep. James Talarico are seeking nan Democratic nomination. Paxton would execute worse than Cornyn successful nan November predetermination against either Democrat, strategists for nan National Republican Senatorial Committee, nan run group led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), said successful an memo this period obtained by T
the Associated Press.

“Cornyn wins nan wide election,” nan memo states. “Paxton puts nan spot astatine risk.”

Beaumont writes for nan Associated Press. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed from Washington.