Cornyn Calls Paxton 'Lazy' and a 'Poor Campaigner' as He Turns Fundraising Elsewhere

Outgoing U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is making one thing clear: he will not spend his final months in office raising money for the man who beat him. In an interview published Friday, Cornyn called Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton "lazy" and a "poor campaigner," and he said his fundraising operation will instead focus on GOP Senate candidates in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Alaska -- states where Republicans face close races and where his donor dollars can move the needle.

The comments land as the Texas Senate race tightens. Paxton, the sitting attorney general backed by President Donald Trump, faces Democrat James Talarico in a contest that polling this summer shows within the margin of error -- a striking development in a state no Democrat has won statewide in more than three decades. With Senate control on the line, the feud between the outgoing senator and the GOP nominee has become one of the most closely watched storylines of the 2026 cycle.

Cornyn's Blunt Verdict on the GOP Nominee

Cornyn, who spent months bashing Paxton during the primary, has not softened his assessment three months into the general election. "Paxton's a poor campaigner," Cornyn said. "He's lazy and doesn't raise money. And he basically is not offering a very compelling case for his election. He's making this harder than it needs to be."

The senator, known for raising hundreds of millions of dollars for fellow Republicans over his career, described Texas as "a black hole when it comes to campaign cash." His money, he argued, will go further in competitive states elsewhere. He still says he remains "a good Republican" who wants the GOP to hold the Senate and opposes Talarico's policies -- but he is not putting his donor network behind Paxton.

Many of Cornyn's top donors have sat out the race since the May runoff. A person close to Paxton said the attorney general has pursued a full-court press of Cornyn's largest contributors and has reached out to the senator multiple times, only to be met with silence. Cornyn, for his part, said he cannot tell that Paxton's supporters have done anything to welcome mainstream Republicans back into the fold. "I can't tell that any of the supporters of Paxton have done diddly squat to reach out to what I would call mainstream traditional Republicans in Texas," he said.

The Money Gap That Has Republicans Worried

The fundraising numbers explain the anxiety. Talarico raised $30 million in the second quarter of 2026, compared with $9 million for Paxton. The Democrat has outspent Paxton in direct advertising by a factor of nearly 200 to 1, and the gap shows no sign of closing on its own.

Paxton won the nomination despite being outraised and outspent by Cornyn and his allies in the primary, but the general election is a different fight. Polling this summer has repeatedly shown a tight race, with several surveys putting Talarico ahead within the margin of error. No Democrat has won a Texas statewide race in over 30 years, which makes the current numbers all the more striking for Republicans.

Cornyn suggested the president could settle the money question directly, noting that the main super PAC backing Trump is sitting on more than $400 million. "He could write a check if he wanted Paxton to be the nominee, with all his wrinkles and warts -- then it's a simple solution to that," Cornyn said.

Trump and National Republicans Step In

Help is arriving from the top. Trump was in Houston on Thursday for a Republican National Committee fundraiser benefiting Paxton, part of a full-court press to keep the seat red. The main super PAC supporting Paxton, Lone Star Liberty PAC, placed its first general-election broadcast ad buy this week, and other GOP groups have begun spending on his behalf, with more expected in September.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backed Cornyn in the primary before rallying to Paxton after the runoff, expressed confidence in the campaign. "Ken Paxton is raising record-breaking resources, building impressive grassroots support, and working in lockstep with President Trump to execute a winning campaign plan that will keep Texas red and ensure James Talarico doesn't come anywhere close to the U.S. Senate," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell.

For Republicans, the task now is unity. Paxton took a gracious posture on runoff night, thanking Cornyn for his service and pledging to earn the support of his voters. He told Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in June that he would have voted for Cornyn "10 times" before Talarico. But the outreach has not produced a public endorsement or a fundraising partnership, and Cornyn's voters -- more than 500,000 of them in the runoff alone -- remain an open question.

A Primary Wound That Won't Fully Heal

The rift traces back to one of the most expensive and bitter primaries in Texas history. Cornyn finished narrowly first in the March contest, but Paxton surged in the May runoff, winning by 28 percentage points with a smaller electorate. Trump's endorsement in the race effectively sealed it, ending the four-term senator's career.

Cornyn, free of reelection pressure for the first time in decades, has not been shy about sharing his view of the race since. "This is unfortunately shaping up to be a close and I hope not disastrous election," he said. "But it ain't looking good right now."

He has kept working on Texas priorities during his remaining months, including faster action on border reimbursement for the state and a pause on construction at Big Bend National Park until stakeholders were consulted -- a request the Department of Homeland Security honored. He also secured written modifications to a controversial anti-weaponization fund at the Department of Justice before voting to advance Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination.

The Senate returns to Washington in September, with vulnerable incumbents and the Texas race at the top of the agenda. Whether Cornyn's donors ultimately come home, and whether the party can close the fundraising gap, will help decide whether Texas remains red in November.