After years of battling fellow Republicans and helping lead the culture wars in Texas, Ken Paxton is campaigning on tax deductions, appearing with state lawmakers who once voted to impeach him, and openly appealing to the Washington establishment for financial help.
It’s all part of Paxton’s efforts to unify his party after a bruising primary and pivot to a general election where he is already polling neck-and-neck with Democrat James Talarico. And it’s an unusual position for Paxton, a veteran of intra-party fights in state races now waging a competitive general election that could determine control of the US Senate.
Texas Republicans are openly worried about losing a statewide race for the first time in three decades. Sen. Ted Cruz, who has been working privately to introduce Paxton to donors, recently said he expected the race “could be decided by a point or two,” which would be tighter than Cruz’s close call against Democrat Beto O’Rourke in 2018. And Michael Berry, a prominent conservative radio host, opened an interview with Paxton on Tuesday by saying he is in “a tough race.”
“I know there is a lot of frustration. I hear it,” Berry told Paxton. “What’s the Paxton campaign doing? What’s the path to victory? Let’s talk about fundraising. I know that’s been difficult. You beat a 24-year incumbent, obviously stepped on a lot of toes. There’s been some concern. Will there be the money there to run the campaign it takes to win?”
