National Republicans are paying close attention to the race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico after summer polling consistently showed Talarico with a slight lead.
Talarico also dominated the airwaves over the summer, spending 200 times more on advertising than Paxton. Paxton’s allies, however, say the dynamic will change heading into the fall.
“It is better to run scared and not to run cocky. And not recognize the risk out there,” Gromer Jeffers, a political writer at The Dallas Morning News, said.
Jeffers said there has been a standoff between the Senate Leadership Fund, which typically spends money to support Republican Senate candidates, and President Donald Trump’s political action committee.
“Come to his aid, come to the right. Exactly. Save, or, or prop bolster, you know, um, reinforce basically,” Jeffers said.
The Senate Leadership Fund includes allies of current Sen. John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in the Republican primary with Trump’s endorsement.
Cornyn’s allies argue Trump’s MAGA Inc. should spend some of its $400 million to help Paxton win the race. That support may come after Labor Day.
“I don’t care about the way he dresses. All I know is that he was considered by almost everybody to be the best, the single strongest, smartest attorney general. In the United States,” Trump said.
Paxton’s team and allies remain confident about his position heading into the fall and are preparing to spend $18 million over the next two weeks.
A Paxton spokesperson also said the campaign raised more money last quarter than any other Republican Senate candidate.
“Paxton’s campaign is powered by overwhelming grassroots support from Texans and conservatives nationwide. Meanwhile, James Talarico’s campaign is bankrolled by out-of-state money from California, coastal billionaires, and mysterious small dollar donations.”
The question heading into the final two months of the campaign is whether Paxton can close the gap with Talarico.
More details about campaign donations will become available later this fall when campaigns file paperwork covering July, August and September. Those filings will come just weeks before Texans vote Nov. 3.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
