Cruz helps Paxton connect with reluctant GOP donors
A day after Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the May 26 Republican primary runoff, his campaign called billionaire businessman Bob Rowling. MSI previously reported that Paxton ousted Cornyn in the GOP runoff.
Rowling, who had contributed more than $750,000 to groups supporting Cornyn, is one of the high-dollar Republican donors who could be key to Paxton’s efforts in a competitive general election.
But Rowling said he had been turned off by Paxton’s alleged extramarital affairs and was emotional over his defeat of Cornyn. He initially declined to help. Then Rowling received a call from Sen. Ted Cruz, who asked him to meet with Paxton. Rowling said he began to consider whether Talarico was enough of a threat to open his wallet again. He eventually took a meeting with Paxton and Cruz.
Rowling has not yet contributed, but said he has decided he will, to the tune of six figures. “It’s a binary choice,” Rowling told the Wall Street Journal.
Paxton’s campaign announced earlier this month that it raised just over $9 million in the second quarter. Talarico reported $27 million in the first quarter and $30 million in the second. Reports filed Wednesday show Talarico’s campaign committees cumulatively have $23.3 million in the bank, while Paxton’s have $6.9 million.
“For being the nominee for just 30 days, we feel very confident in our fundraising,” Paxton consultant Nick Maddux said.
The fundraising gap has sparked worry among national Republicans, who fear that defending the Texas seat could become a costly drain on party resources, according to the Wall Street Journal. Texas is a notoriously expensive state for political campaigns, requiring coverage of 20 media markets and 19 million registered voters.
After Paxton’s nomination, donors at one major Republican fundraising organization asked that their money not go to him, according to a person familiar with the conversations. The person said the request stemmed from Paxton’s office having sued so many of them, and they feared he could misuse the funds.
A Wall Street Journal review found lawsuits filed by Paxton’s office have targeted the organizations of at least 30 people and groups who had contributed a cumulative $38.5 million to Texas Republicans and national GOP groups since 2023. One donor whose organization was accused of anti-Christian discrimination said the lawsuit was a misunderstanding and was quickly dropped. The donor expressed annoyance at receiving fundraising appeals from Paxton’s campaign while being a defendant in one of his lawsuits.
“We don’t make a practice of soliciting the people Ken sues — that would be uncouth,” Maddux said.
Recent six-figure Paxton donors include Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys; the founder of the fitness chain Curves; and the wife of a CEO convicted of fraud and later pardoned by President Trump. Most of his top donors had not previously contributed to Cornyn.
Some high-dollar donors said they have received calls from Cruz on Paxton’s behalf. Some said they planned to focus on down-ballot races or national umbrella groups. Billionaire Ken Griffin, who has already invested some $40 million in Republican efforts this midterm cycle, does not intend to help Paxton.
“All the big money is going into the party,” said Texas billionaire Ross Perot Jr., who said he will put his money behind whichever races GOP leaders see as the highest priority. Perot said Democratic wins across the country would help bring donors upset about Paxton back into the mix.
Many Republicans want Trump and his allies to step in. The Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. political-action committee had $382 million on hand at the end of May but hasn’t said how it will use the funds.
One Texas businessman who has donated nearly $1.5 million to Republican candidates in the past five years said Paxton is being more effective courting donors than people realize. The businessman said his peers see Paxton as the lesser of two evils and that his election is vital to keeping the GOP’s Senate majority. Even so, would he donate to Paxton? “Absolutely not,” he said.