The petulance of the RINO political class reared its ugly head again earlier this month, exposing yet another former top GOP leader to much-deserved criticism from MAGA.
Advertisement
Former President George W. Bush returned to the Republican fundraising circuit ahead of the midterm elections, helping raise money for several GOP Senate candidates at a September event that notably did not include Texas Republican nominee Ken Paxton, whom President Trump endorsed.
Outgoing GOP Sen. John Cornyn hosted the fundraiser for Maintain the Majority, a joint fundraising committee supporting selected Republican Senate candidates, with Bush appearing as a special guest.
Advertisement
The arrangement carried an unusual political history because Paxton defeated Cornyn in this year’s Republican Senate primary after receiving President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Paxton also has history with the Bush family, having defeated George W. Bush’s nephew, George P. Bush, by a wide margin in the 2022 Republican primary for Texas attorney general.
Neither the former president nor Cornyn publicly attributed Paxton’s absence to those previous political battles, however, and the available evidence does not establish that the omission was personally motivated.
Maintain the Majority’s listed participants included Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Jon Husted of Ohio and Susan Collins of Maine, all of whom are running in closely watched contests this year.
Republican Senate nominees Mike Rogers of Michigan, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Ashley Hinson of Iowa were also included, while Minnesota nominee Michele Tafoya was later added to the event.
Paxton was not listed as a participant or beneficiary, although he was not the only Trump-aligned Republican Senate candidate absent from the fundraising operation.
Georgia Republican nominee Mike Collins and North Carolina nominee Michael Whatley were also outside the committee’s listed group, making it difficult to conclude from Paxton’s absence alone that Bush or Cornyn was deliberately withholding support from him.
Still, the event highlighted an awkward political dynamic inside the Republican Party as Paxton campaigns against Democratic nominee James Talarico for a Senate seat the GOP is fighting to keep in November.
Advertisement
Cornyn spent years representing Texas in the Senate before losing the Republican nomination to Paxton, while Bush remains one of the most prominent figures associated with an earlier generation of Texas Republican politics.
Paxton’s victories over Cornyn and George P. Bush have made him a prominent example of the Republican Party’s shift toward Trump-aligned candidates and away from some of the establishment figures who dominated the party before Trump’s rise.
Advertisement
The September fundraiser nevertheless provides evidence only that Paxton was excluded from this particular joint fundraising committee, not that Bush or Cornyn supports Talarico or opposes Paxton in the general election.
Maintain the Majority raises and distributes money through its participating campaigns and committees, meaning funds collected through the operation are separate from other Republican organizations capable of spending money in Texas.
Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC reported having more than $400 million available during the campaign period, giving Trump-aligned groups substantial resources that could potentially be deployed across competitive races, although cash on hand does not indicate where that money ultimately will be spent.
Paxton also continues to receive support from national Republicans despite his absence from the Bush-Cornyn event.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters expressed confidence in Paxton’s campaign, pointing to his previous statewide victories in Texas and his successful primary challenge against a longtime incumbent senator.
Advertisement
The Texas contest has attracted increasing national attention as Republicans and Democrats battle over a collection of competitive Senate seats that could determine control of the chamber.
Fox News classified the Texas race as a toss-up in the ratings accompanying its September report while also identifying competitive Senate contests in Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Maine and Alaska.
Republicans entered the campaign holding a 53-47 Senate majority, making losses in traditionally Republican territory particularly consequential as Democrats seek the net gains necessary to take control of the chamber.
Maintaining the Senate would allow Republicans to continue advancing Trump’s nominees and provide the White House with an important source of congressional leverage even if Democrats were to capture control of the House.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
