{"id":2655079,"date":"2026-09-05T07:30:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T11:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-gops-texas-sized-ken-paxton-dilemma\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T07:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T11:33:41","slug":"the-gops-texas-sized-ken-paxton-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-gops-texas-sized-ken-paxton-dilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"The GOP&#8217;s Texas-sized Ken Paxton dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-gops-texas-sized-ken-paxton-dilemma%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2655079&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the challenges faced by Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, a scandal-tainted and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-state-sen-paxton-barred-from-voting-in-husbands-impeachment-trial\/\" title=\"Texas ... Senator Paxton has been prohibited from voting in her husband&#039;s impeachment trial.\">impeached state attorney general<\/a>, who is struggling in the race against Democrat James Talarico. Establishment Republicans, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-spending-cuts-lead-to-a-reallocation-of-funds-in-sam-browns-election-campaign-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Republican spending cuts ... to a reallocation of funds in Sam Brown&#039;s election campaign. - Washington Examiner\">including national figures<\/a> and donors, where initially not supportive of Paxton\u2019s nomination and would prefer to see a different candidate, such as Senator john Cornyn, who would have had better fundraising prospects and less baggage. President Trump endorsed Paxton, but party leaders expressed concerns about his viability and the need for notable outside support to win.The race is elaborate by broader Republican struggles across key states, and the high cost of campaigning in Texas&#8217;s numerous media markets. Despite Paxton&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >current narrow polling lead<\/a>, his low popularity among GOP leaders and limited funds could hinder his chances.A Democratic victory in Texas would be unlikely historically, but if Democrats manage an upset, it could lead to a contentious and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/apple-of-their-eye-is-the-gop-still-in-love-with-new-york\/\" title=\"Is the GOP still infatuated with New York\">high-stakes political battle<\/a> in the state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4709143\/talarico-bad-to-worse-gop-debates-paxton-support\/\">getting pretty fed up<\/a> with their Senate nominee in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\">Texas<\/a>, state attorney general <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\">Ken Paxton<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scandal-tainted and once-impeached Paxton is a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/09\/02\/politics\/texas-senate-ken-paxton-trump\">flawed candidate in all kinds of ways<\/a> that were predictable and, in fact, widely predicted.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4713545\/republicans-texas-sized-ken-paxton-dilemma\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>The GOP\u2019s Texas-sized Ken Paxton dilemma<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4714454\/maryland-only-house-republican-looks-to-larry-hogan-to-help-survive-redistricting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Maryland\u2019s only House Republican looks to Larry Hogan to help survive redistricting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4714902\/pennsylvania-green-party-candidate-booted-from-ballot-gop-spoiler\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pennsylvania court boots Green Party candidate from ballot for being GOP \u2018spoiler candidate\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Establishment Republicans in both Texas and Washington, D.C., never wanted Paxton to be the nominee in the first place and would have mixed emotions at most if he loses in November. If Paxton needs outside financial support \u2014 he has not been the most prolific fundraiser while his Democratic opponent, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-talarico\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"17710\">James Talarico<\/a>, is flush with cash\u00a0\u2014 they would prefer it come from President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> war chest.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, after all, endorsed Paxton in the runoff while the rest of the party leadership wanted to stick with incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX). <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo, time is running out,\u201d Republican strategist Karl Rove, a longtime adviser to former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-w-bush\/\">George W. Bush<\/a>, complained to Fox News Radio. \u201cIf the president wants to have Paxton win, he needs to be tossing a lot of money Paxton\u2019s way so that ads can be run that depict Talarico as the far-left winger that he is. If not, Talarico is going to run the message of, \u2018My opponent is the most corrupt politician in Texas history,\u2019 all the way to the victory lane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not the most rousing endorsement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it is worth noting that the Texas Republican ticket, from Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/greg-abbott\/\">Greg Abbott<\/a> (R-TX) on down, is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/governor\/general\/2026\/texas\/abbott-vs-hinojosa\">collectively underperforming<\/a> this year, albeit not as badly as Paxton. The likelihood is that this would have been a competitive Senate race even with a safer nominee than Paxton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cornyn would have had an easier time raising money. He is plugged in with the donors, and national Republicans would have been considerably more eager to help if he needed it. He also has less baggage, which would have forced Talarico to run a different kind of campaign against him, perhaps one focused on the senator\u2019s incumbency and time in Washington, which would have been a tougher sell for a Democrat in Texas, even in an election cycle like this one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2026\/texas\/talarico-vs-cornyn\">pre-primary polls<\/a> didn\u2019t show Cornyn running away with a hypothetical race against Talarico. He would have likely encountered some of the same problems as other Texas Republicans this year. And the runoff results suggest that Cornyn, who lost by 27.6 points, would have had a base enthusiasm problem if he had made it to the general election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Republican Senate candidates are struggling, even in Trump-won states like Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina. But that actually makes Paxton\u2019s problem worse: That means there are other Senate races where the national money could be spent, and some of these states have fewer or cheaper media markets than Texas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans are also still actively defending a Senate seat in Maine and eyeing potential pickup opportunities in Michigan, New Hampshire, and possibly even Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There probably is some amount of money that could drag Paxton, who is trailing by just 2.4 points in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2026\/texas\/talarico-vs-paxton\"><em>RealClearPolitics<\/em> polling average<\/a>, across the finish line. But it is not clear at what cost \u2014 and whether that cost would be one that Trump or other GOP bigwigs are willing to pay.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas is an expensive state with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/abc3340.com\/news\/nation-world\/texas-senate-race-could-become-nations-most-expensive-as-democrats-eye-upset\">some 20 media markets<\/a>. Republicans could potentially get more bang for their buck elsewhere. Paxton isn\u2019t winning any popularity contests with Republican leaders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460164\/trump-endorsement-tracker-gop-2026-election-primaries\/\"><strong>TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE\u2019S WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS PICKED IN GOP MIDTERM ELECTION PRIMARIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet it would be difficult for Democrats to win the Senate if Republicans hold Texas. Talarico is an awfully liberal candidate for the state, which hasn\u2019t elected a Democratic senator since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. That\u2019s before Talarico was born.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Democrats score the upset here, as they have threatened but ultimately failed to do in the last two races against Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ted-cruz\/\">Ted Cruz<\/a> (R-TX), it\u2019s going to get ugly in Texas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP grows frustrated with Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2655080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26147666043709-e1783986582322.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6203,38244,3694],"class_list":["post-2655079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gop","tag-ken-paxton","tag-texas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26147666043709-e1783986582322.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655079"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2655083,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655079\/revisions\/2655083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2655080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2655079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2655079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}