Scoop: Thune to attend Paxton fundraiser
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Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, outside the US Capitol on June 3. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Senate Majority Leader John Thune will be a special guest at a fundraiser for Texas candidate Ken Paxton later this month, according to an invite obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Thuneworld and the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent months fighting Paxton's primary bid against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.). Now, they need Paxton to protect their majority.
- Both Thune and NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will be featured at the July 22 fundraiser. The leaders endorsed Paxton only after the state attorney general beat Cornyn in a May 26 runoff.
- GOP Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Katie Britt (Ala.), Ted Budd (N.C.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Steve Daines (Mont.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Ron Johnson (Wisc.), Mike Lee (Utah), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) will also attend, according to the invite.
- Top GOP officials spent months warning donors that if Paxton won the nomination, the Texas Senate seat could cost millions more to keep.
Between the lines: Cornyn would have come with less scandal and lots of cash. Now, GOP officials are weighing whether they will need to invest more funds to ensure Paxton defeats Democrat James Talarico.
- Texas is not on the list of eight battleground races that the NRSC is focused on, according to a source familiar with the matter.
- Texas also did not make the cut for the Thune-linked Super PAC's first round of ad reservations. North Carolina, Maine, Georgia, New Hampshire, Ohio, Michigan, Alaska and Iowa are on that list.
- Cornyn, a Texas fundraising powerhouse, has made clear he does not intend to do Paxton any favors. He told Semafor that he wouldn't be sending any money to Paxton, adding that President Trump, who endorsed Paxton, "can spend his money."
What to watch: The Trump Super PAC has over $350 million on hand to spend.
- Donors are starting to get antsy about if, when and where that money will be funneled into midterm elections, according to Politico.
- The Republican National Committee also has $125 million and, after the Supreme Court struck down federal limits on how much political parties may spend in coordination with candidates, those dollars could stretch even further.
