George W Bush Helps Raise Senate Money While Ken Paxton Is Left Out
Former President George W. Bush joined a September fundraiser for Senate Republicans, but Texas GOP nominee Ken Paxton was not among the event’s listed participants.
Sen. John Cornyn hosted the event for Maintain the Majority, a political action committee, with Bush appearing as a special guest. Paxton had defeated Cornyn in this year’s Republican Senate primary. In 2022, he also beat Bush’s nephew, George P. Bush, in the Texas attorney general primary. Neither Cornyn nor Bush publicly described Paxton’s absence as personal.
The guest list included Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Republican nominees Mike Rogers of Michigan, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, and Michele Tafoya of Minnesota were also included, according to the report cited by Fox News.
Paxton was not the only Republican nominee missing. Mike Collins of Georgia and Michael Whatley of North Carolina were also absent from the fundraiser and the committee’s listed participants. The event’s roster therefore shows who was included in this particular fundraising effort, not a broad declaration of opposition to Paxton.
Still, the gathering brought together Cornyn and Bush, both of whom have political ties to men Paxton defeated. Paxton won his primary with President Donald Trump’s support and is now running against Democrat James Talarico.
Maintain the Majority raises money for candidates included in its joint committee. Those funds are separate from other Republican resources that could support Paxton. Trump’s MAGA Inc. organization reported more than $415 million in cash around the time of the fundraiser, although that total does not establish how much, if any, would go toward the Texas race.
Other Republicans have backed Paxton. Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters expressed confidence that the nominee could hold the seat, citing his statewide victories and primary win over a longtime incumbent.
The race has drawn increased national attention. Fox News rated it a toss-up in the September report, alongside competitive contests in Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Maine, and Alaska. At the time, Republicans held a 53-to-47 Senate majority, making each contested seat important to the party’s effort to retain control after November 3.
A Republican Senate could continue confirming nominees and give President Trump greater leverage if Democrats take the House. The fundraiser offered donors a way to support selected candidates, but its guest list alone cannot establish whether Bush or Cornyn will support Paxton through other channels.