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The Senate Leadership Fund, aligned with Senate Republican leadership, has reportedly pumped massive resources into Texas to defend longtime incumbent John Cornyn. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has also structured fundraising efforts to maximize anti-Paxton advertising. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s political apparatus has pledged heavy financial backing in the effort to stop him.
Combined, pro-Cornyn forces have spent over $60 million in a Republican primary. In Texas.
And still, Paxton is leading.
Texas conservatives have witnessed similar political battles before. They saw national Republicans join Democrats and legacy media outlets in repeated attempts to sideline Donald Trump. Despite impeachments and indictments, Trump returned to the White House.
Now many grassroots voters believe they are watching a comparable script unfold.
Paxton faced impeachment proceedings in 2023 and was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Texas Senate on all 16 charges. A long-running felony securities fraud case that loomed over him for nearly a decade was ultimately dismissed in 2025. Each legal storm that was expected to end his career instead reinforced his standing among supporters who view him as a fighter.
Meanwhile, Cornyn’s campaign and allied groups continue to warn that Paxton would be too costly in a general election. Paxton countered that argument directly during his Fox News appearance.
“John Cornyn has already spent about $70 million, on his way to spending over $100 million in a primary,” Paxton told Fox News Sunday.
That figure is staggering. Spending approaching nine figures in a Republican primary raises serious questions about enthusiasm and vulnerability. If Cornyn must spend that level of donor money just to secure renomination, critics argue, what does that say about his political strength?
Paxton’s own campaign spending has reportedly been a fraction of that total. Independent polling has shown him ahead, including surveys from the University of Houston’s Hobby School. The RealClearPolitics average has also reflected a narrow but consistent advantage.
Editorial boards at major Texas newspapers have criticized Paxton and suggested Democrats would prefer him as the nominee. But Republican primary voters appear unmoved by those warnings.
The biggest unanswered question hovering over the race is former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Trump has praised Paxton in the past, calling him one of the “toughest and best” attorneys general in the country. He publicly supported Paxton during the impeachment battle. Yet he has not formally endorsed either candidate in this contest.
Reports indicate that key Senate Republicans have privately sought Trump’s backing for Cornyn. So far, it has not materialized.
For many observers, that silence speaks volumes.
At a rally in Tyler, Texas, Paxton framed the race in stark terms.
“His money is coming from the D.C. establishment. I’m not their person and I’m never going to be their person.”
Early voting is underway, and the March 3 primary looms large. What began as a routine renomination campaign has turned into a defining struggle between grassroots conservatives and the Washington establishment.
Billions of dollars flow through Washington every year. But Texas voters may be sending a reminder that political loyalty cannot simply be purchased.
If current trends hold, the capital’s investment in stopping Ken Paxton could become one of the most expensive lessons in modern Republican politics.
