If Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has any plans to drop from the runoff for Texas’ open senate seat, he’s sure not acting like it.
Republican political operative and Paxton campaign treasurer John Plishka filed March 4 to create two new political action committees, or PACs, to back the culture-warrior AG’s primary campaign unseat Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, now in his fourth term.
The two new Paxton-tied PACs — Texas First Leadership PAC and Ken Paxton Victory Fund — are both based in Dallas and list Plishka as treasurer. PACs are private, tax-exempt organizations that pool campaign contributions to back a candidate.
Last week’s move comes as expectations build that President Donald Trump will endorse Cornyn in the runoff. Many in the GOP fear Paxton’s litany of scandals — a near impeachment, a securities fraud settlement, multiple alleged affairs and an ongoing divorce among them — make a him a weak general-election candidate.
Last Thursday, Paxton said he would consider leaving the race if the Senate ends the filibuster, clearing the upper chamber to pass the SAVE America Act. That Trump-backed legislation would force voters to show proof of citizenship to register and a photo ID to cast a ballot — something civil-rights groups argue would block millions from the polls.
However, it’s questionable whether the Senate is ready to throw out the filibuster, a procedure even Republicans in the chamber have been steadfast in defending up to this point.
And the appearance of the two new Paxton-supporting PACs suggest he and his supporters are battening down for long and expensive fight with the primary vote still three months out.
Candidates have so far poured $128 million into Texas’ Senate primary, making it the most expensive race on record, according to an analysis by AdImpact. Political observers expect both Cornyn and Paxton to spend big in the final stretch to decide who faces Democrat James Talarico in the November general election.
It’s not uncommon for campaigns to set up multiple PACs for strategic reasons. First, major donors can write a single check to a joint fundraising committee which then splits cash among PACs. Further, PACs such as the Texas First Leadership Fund allow bashful donors to give money to a committee that doesn’t have the politician’s name in the title.
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