Ken Paxton announced 18 endorsements from Texas’s Republican congressional delegation on August 12, signaling an effort to shore up GOP support after his contentious May primary victory over longtime Senator John Cornyn. The Texas attorney general’s campaign is working to consolidate his party as he faces Democrat James Talarico in a race that has tightened considerably since the runoff.
The latest polling shows the race is deadlocked. An Emerson College survey released August 13 found Paxton at 47 percent support and Talarico at 46 percent among likely Texas voters, with 5 percent undecided. Yet despite the endorsements from 18 of 24 Republican House members in the state, Paxton trails Talarico in consolidating his own party’s voters, according to CNN reporting on August 14.
The fundraising gap compounds Paxton’s challenge. As of August 2026, Talarico had raised $68.6 million compared to Paxton’s $9.25 million, according to Ballotpedia. Talarico’s campaign has already spent $21 million on television advertising since the runoff, while Paxton’s campaign has spent $100,000, according to data cited by CNN.
Building Unity After a Divisive Primary
Paxton’s path to the general election was bruising. He defeated Cornyn 63.8 percent to 36.2 percent in the May runoff, aided by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump, but the victory came after months of attacks on the 24-year incumbent. Now Paxton is working to rebuild relationships fractured during the primary.
His unity effort includes an unusual coalition. At campaign events, Paxton has appeared alongside state Representative Jeff Leach, who once called him a “sophisticated criminal” and helped lead the 2023 impeachment against him in the Texas House on accusations of abusing his office to help a donor. The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on those charges.
Paxton has also shifted his campaign message. Instead of the red-meat attacks that defined the primary, he is now emphasizing an economic agenda centered on tax deductions for healthcare, housing, and children. In a recent statement, he said, “Washington is making it harder than ever to get ahead, and the American dream is slipping away as the cost of everything, from housing to healthcare, rises.”
Senator Ted Cruz has been working privately to introduce Paxton to donors, and Paxton recently attended a fundraiser in Washington attended by Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Yet the question of whether major GOP super PACs will fully commit to the race remains unresolved. In a CNN interview, Paxton acknowledged the challenge: “We need help now,” he said on Fox News Sunday, indicating his campaign was trying to raise enough money to start airing television ads in September.
Talarico, meanwhile, has staked his campaign on a populist economic message. He held a slickly produced rally in Arlington where he was introduced by Glen Whitley, a former Republican Tarrant County judge, and blamed “billionaires buying politicians like Ken Paxton” for Texas’s affordability crisis. Talarico has also appealed to Cornyn supporters by praising the senator for raising concerns about border wall construction in Big Bend National Park.
The race has drawn national attention because it could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Texas Republicans are openly worried about losing a statewide race for the first time in three decades. Cruz recently told allies he expected the race “could be decided by a point or two,” tighter than his own close 2018 contest against Democrat Beto O’Rourke. Some GOP operatives believe that a major spending push from the Senate Leadership Fund or MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC sitting on $400 million, will ultimately be needed to secure Paxton’s victory.
Not all Republicans have united behind Paxton. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, a former Cornyn supporter, remains neutral in the general election. Erik Gomez, mayor of the South Texas city of Sabinal and a Cornyn surrogate during the primary, has not formally endorsed Paxton, though a campaign staffer recently reached out to him. Gomez said he hoped to discuss policy and unity with the Paxton campaign, noting he still sees “Paxton supporters throwing jabs at Cornyn supporters.”
Sources
- CNN — Paxton’s consolidation efforts, Republican concerns, endorsements, and unity challenges
- El Paso Times — 18 congressional endorsements announced August 12
- Emerson College Polling — August 13 poll showing 47%-46% deadlock
- Ballotpedia — Fundraising totals as of August 2026
- The Hill — Polling confirmation and race dynamics
- Texas Tribune — Trump endorsement and primary context
