Cornyn donors largely keep distance from Paxton
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Texas GOP convention in Houston in June. Photo: Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Few major donors to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn have thrown their weight behind GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton since the Texas attorney general defeated Cornyn in a May runoff, per an Axios analysis of newly released federal campaign finance data.
Why it matters: Paxton likely must rally Cornyn supporters to his side to defeat Democrat James Talarico, a state legislator from Austin and a formidable fundraiser seeking to appeal to moderate voters.
- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested as much, ahead of the bitterly contested runoff when he urged supporters of both candidates to back the Republican nominee.
Follow the money: Of the nearly 100 donors who had given at least $50,000 to the Cornyn campaign or major supporting political action committees this election cycle, none appeared to have cut a check directly to the Paxton campaign or its affiliated PACs after the May runoff, the Axios analysis found.
- Cornyn donors like the Perot family, long-time Houston beer distributor John Nau and Dallas real estate developer Harlan Crow have not steered money toward Paxton, per the latest campaign filings, which covered a period ending June 30 and were released on Wednesday.
Yes, but: At least a few prominent Texans who previously donated to Cornyn's campaign or Cornyn-aligned political action committees are now driving money toward Paxton.
- Among them: Dallas-based tax consultant George Brint Ryan had contributed $10,000 to Cornyn Lonestar Victory Fund, a Cornyn joint fundraising committee, in January — and gave $100,000 at the end of June to the political action committee Paxton Victory.
- On a smaller scale, Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner and Houston-area real estate developer Steven Alvis contributed $3,500 to Cornyn Lonestar Victory Fund in February — and gave the same amount to Ken Paxton for Senate on May 30, a few days after the runoff was decided. (His wife, Marci Alvis, also made a $3,500 contribution the Paxton campaign on the same day.)
- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones supported both candidates. On the same day in April he gave $3,500 to Texans for Senator John Cornyn (through a transfer from Lonestar Victory Fund) and $50,000 to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton. In mid-June, after the runoff, he cut a check for $250,000 to Paxton Victory.
What they're saying: "Despite the intramural contest earlier this year, I will strongly support the GOP nominee," Ryan tells Axios. "I've increased my support because ... (Talarico's) not right for Texas and he's not right for me."
- Jones and Steven Alvis did not immediately respond to Axios interview requests. A message left with the Paxton campaign was not immediately returned.
- "Republicans are fully united behind Ken Paxton," Republican National Committee spokesperson Zach Kraft tells Axios.
The other side: Cornyn has said he will not campaign or raise money for Paxton, whom he called a "con man" during the race.
State of play: Less than four months out, polls show a neck-and-neck race, but also that Paxton has been consolidating GOP support.
- In a poll released last month by UT's Texas Politics Project, 84% of GOP voters said they would support Paxton in his Senate bid. That was up from 63% in April, when Paxton was locked in the primary runoff.
- And next week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune — a Cornyn ally — will be a special guest at a fundraiser for Paxton, a possible come-together moment for a divided party.
The intrigue: Still, Talarico's campaign is banking on picking up voters like Todd Shade, a 62 year-old Austinite and Cornyn supporter.
- "I think Ken Paxton is probably guilty of the things that he's accused of," Shade told the Texas Tribune about his intention to vote for Talarico. "It's more of an anti-Paxton vote."
The bottom line: Talarico outraised Paxton by a greater-than-3-to-1 margin, roughly $30 million to $9 million, in the second quarter of the year, per the latest reports, filed Wednesday.
- The money will be crucial to buying ad time in Texas' major media markets as the candidates aim to burnish their credentials for voters — and attack each other.
- Talarico for Texas finished June with $21.5 million in its coffers and Lone Star Rising PAC, which supports Talarico, finished the period with $12.7 million in cash.
- Paxton Victory finished June with $3.85 million in cash; Ken Paxton for Senate had $1.75 million on hand; and Lone Star Liberty finished with $35,000 in the bank.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from George Brint Ryan.