a day ago
Texas AG Ken Paxton will hold Senate fundraiser in Utah
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will hold a fundraiser in Utah on Thursday for his Republican primary campaign against Sen. John Cornyn, the Deseret News has confirmed with Paxton's team.
The invite-only fundraiser will be hosted by businessman Doug Quezada in Alpine, Utah County. Conservative radio host Glenn Beck — a Texas resident — is slated to attend as a special guest, according to Quezada.
During the 2024 election cycle, Quezada helped organize a Utah fundraiser for President Donald Trump and was involved in the 'Latter-day Saints for Trump' coalition, along with Beck and several others.
The event will feature a minimum attendance fee of $1,500 per individual or $2,500 per couple, and a maximum contribution of $7,000 per individual or $14,000 per couple, according to an invitation obtained by the Deseret News.
Paxton's visit comes during a critical time for his Senate campaign.
Cornyn, a four-term incumbent, has already launched his reelection bid for 2026 in earnest as one of the Senate's most prolific Republican fundraisers, pulling in nearly $33 million in 2024 alone.
The state of Texas typically boasts some of the most expensive Senate general election races in the country, with 20 distinct media markets and plenty of national attention.
But in 2026 the spending is likely to come even earlier, with the Cornyn-Paxton contest expected to be the GOP's most expensive primary in 2026 — and potentially the most expensive Senate primary ever.
The invitation for Thursday's fundraiser praises Paxton for 'standing firm on election integrity, border security and the rule of law' and 'leading high-profile cases that have shaped national conversations around energy independence, parental rights and economic freedom.'
'Ken brings a rare combination of legal expertise, proven leadership and the courage to take principled stands on behalf of American taxpayers,' the invitation says.
The race will pit a Senate institutionalist in Cornyn, who was the whip alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, against Paxton's firebrand approach to politics.
As attorney general, Paxton filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Biden administration, costing Texas taxpayers at least $6.1 million, according to Axios.
The legal actions included successful challenges to Biden administration deportation policies, border wall spending and the 'parole in place' program, as well as challenges to Biden-era pauses on off-shore drilling and mandates for LGBTQ+ workplace accommodations.
Following the 2020 election, Paxton filed an unsuccessful case in the U.S. Supreme Court alleging that four states had violated the U.S. Constitution by changing election procedures improperly and asking for their Electoral College votes to be invalidated.
Paxton has been one of President Donald Trump's most loyal allies, speaking at the Trump rally before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and later joining Trump during one of his criminal trials in Manhattan, which Paxton called 'a travesty of justice.'
In 2023, the Texas House voted to adopt 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, 121-23, alleging corruption, bribery and abuse of office.
Paxton was later acquitted by the state Senate of what he called a 'sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden Administration.'
Earlier this year the Department of Justice ended an investigation into whether Paxton used his office to help a wealthy donor avoid legal trouble.
