Ken Paxton
Texas AG WHO ousted SEN. Cornyn 63.8%-36% on 26 May despite a 9-to-1 spending gap.
Ken Paxton enters the Texas Senate race after outside groups reported $69.32m in spending connected to his contest by 21 September, with donors still undisclosed.
Last refreshed: 24 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Paxton hold Texas's Senate seat against Talarico's record-breaking Democratic fundraising in November?
Timeline for Ken Paxton
Received $27.94m of supporting spending
US Midterms 2026: Texas PAC's Senate spending hits $131.5mBacked by $36.75m of Texas PAC spending
US Midterms 2026: Texas PAC hits $69.3m in Paxton race$85m of Texas ads, no donor named
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Letlow routs Fleming by 13.6 points
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Letlow's 15-point lead collapses to a tie
US Midterms 2026Background
Ken Paxton is the Republican Texas Attorney General and the party's Senate nominee. On 26 May, he defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn 63.8% to 36% in the Republican runoff, despite Cornyn's side outspending him nine to one.
His record as attorney general includes defending Texas's electoral interests in court. On 27 April, the Supreme Court cleared Texas's PlanC2333 congressional map for the 2026 midterms, a ruling that reinforced the legal and political profile Paxton had built through confrontations with federal policy.
Paxton's rise from statewide office to Senate nominee makes him a test case for insurgent Republican campaigns. His 2026 primary victory showed that an incumbent senator's institutional support and spending advantage did not settle a contest shaped by grassroots mobilisation and a late Trump endorsement.
Paxton faces undisclosed outside spending
By 21 September, TEXAS PAC had reported $36.75m spent for Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate contest, within $69.32m in reported spending tied to his race. The committee had not identified a donor, leaving voters able to see the scale of support for Paxton without knowing who financed it.
On 15 September, TEXAS PAC and No Going Back PAC had reported more than $85m in race spending through formation documents and 48-hour notices, without Schedule A donor disclosures. For Paxton, the spending makes outside financing a central part of the general-election contest while its source remains opaque.