In Plano, Texas, Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate limit public appearances, relying heavily on advertising. As Texas voters prepare for the runoff election, there’s a notable absence of public events by Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Their yearlong campaigns continue predominantly through screens.
No campaign events were planned on the final day of their intense race. Instead, advertising plays a major role, with expenditures surpassing $109 million. Much of this spending supports Cornyn. Though Cornyn holds a non-campaign event in San Antonio to honor service academy enrollees, his last public campaign stop occurred in Corpus Christi last Friday.
Paxton held his final events Thursday near Austin and San Antonio, preferring to let his advertising and a supporting super PAC carry his message. Notably, President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton on May 19, during early voting. Trump criticized Cornyn for his insufficient loyalty. Over the weekend, Trump reiterated his support for Paxton and criticized Cornyn on social media.
Historically, Trump’s endorsements have influenced Republican voters to select challengers over incumbent GOP members who oppose his agenda. This runoff, anticipated to attract only a fraction of Texas’s 18.7 million voters, sees both campaigns and their allies inundating media platforms with ads. Cornyn’s supporters engage more vigorously than Paxton’s.
“It’s just a slug fest, with campaigns and third-party groups slugging it out,” stated Wayne Hamilton, a previous Texas Republican Party executive director.
Cornyn and his supporting super PACs spent heavily over the past year, outmatching pro-Paxton expenditures by nearly nine-to-one. However, this disparity lessened recently. In the campaign’s final week, Cornyn’s ad spending was less than twice that of Paxton’s backers.
Cornyn’s campaign emphasizes ads highlighting Paxton’s ethical and personal issues. There is also an ad reaffirming Cornyn’s alignment with Trump’s Senate priorities. Conversely, Paxton and allies focus their ads on Trump’s endorsement. Late in the week, Paxton’s super PAC, Lone Star Liberty Fund, launched an ad targeting state Rep. James Talarico, the Texas Democratic Senate nominee.
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