Big Number
$25 million. That’s how much was spent on ads in the runoff, including $20 million for Cornyn and $5 million for Paxton, according to AdImpact.
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Why Did Trump Endorse Paxton?
Trump announced his endorsement of Paxton shortly after Ed Gallrein, the candidate he endorsed in the hotly contested primary for Rep. Thomas Massie’s, R-Ky., seat, defeated the incumbent in the May 19 election. Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., also finished ahead of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., two days earlier in the state’s GOP Senate primary. Trump’s endorsement of Paxton came as he is frustrated with Cornyn’s Republican colleagues over their resistance to some of his legislative priorities, including eliminating the filibuster, funding his East Wing ballroom project, refusing to fire the Senate parliamentarian and failing to pass legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Paxton aligns more with Trump’s hard-right base, and Cornyn is the more traditional conservative candidate.
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Why Is Paxton Controversial?
Paxton was suspended from office and impeached in 2023 over accusations of abuse of office, including using his position to benefit a donor and obstructing justice in a separate securities fraud case against him. Paxton was acquitted on all 16 articles of impeachment by the Texas state Senate. Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, shortly after he was first elected attorney general, for allegedly misleading investors by encouraging them to put money into a technology company without informing them he made commission on their investments. He reached a deal with prosecutors nearly a decade later that required him to pay restitution, but not admit guilt. Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce from Paxton, to whom she was married for 38 years, last July, citing “recent discoveries” and adultery. Paxton has used his office to promote hard-right causes, including aggressively enforcing restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care and immigration crackdowns.
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