Why this race suddenly matters
Texas voters head to the polls as a sitting attorney general challenges a long time incumbent senator. Early voting opens and the GOP primary looks louder than usual. Paxton says he is in this to win and that the contest is closer than some outlets claim. That claim matters because name recognition and endorsements still shape primaries. And in a state this big, the story voters hear first often sticks. That is why campaigns fight the narrative as hard as they fight the vote count.
Paxton’s answer to the polls
On Fox News Sunday, Paxton rejected widely cited polls and pointed to his own internal numbers. He said the Houston Hobby Poll and his campaign surveys show him at least equal to John Cornyn. He called the public polls a narrative shaped by others and argued his record would play better in a general election than critics expect. Polls can be useful, but they are also snapshots in time. Campaigns with less money love to point out that a snapshot can look very different from the final picture.
On legal fights and being “over the target”
When Bream brought up past scandals and legal trouble, Paxton framed those as the cost of pushing back. He compared his experience to President Trump and said that when officials take on big targets, investigations follow. Paxton told the host he has prevailed in legal fights and that attacks are politically timed. That is a common defense. It is also a reminder that the public has to decide whether allegations stick, whether courts have resolved them, and whether voters trust the candidate anyway.
Money and messaging: who is spending what
Money is simple to report and hard to ignore. Paxton told the show Cornyn has already spent tens of millions in the primary and will spend much more if he stays the course. Paxton said his campaign spending is a fraction of that. The point he made is strategic. Big spending buys ads, saturation, and narrative control. Smaller budgets force a campaign to trade cash for sharper messaging and stronger ground work. Voters can judge which style they prefer.
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! PLEASE COMMENT BELOW.
Leave a Comment