Paxton raises $18M in third quarter

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) raised $18 million in the third quarter as he trails Democrat James Talarico in polls on the contentious Texas Senate race.

Paxton’s July-to-September haul is double the $9 million he raised in the second quarter of the year, adding to what’s already the most expensive Senate race of the cycle.

Talarico has not yet released his third-quarter numbers but raised more than $30 million in the second quarter.

“Republicans from all corners of Texas have given to the campaign because they know what’s at stake,” said Nick Maddux, senior adviser to the Paxton campaign, in a release.

Funds are flooding into the Texas Senate race as Democrats grow bullish about their first statewide flip in decades — and as Republicans fret about Paxton’s lag in the polls.

President Trump’s MAGA Inc. dropped $10 million into the race in early September, and Republicans put the spotlight on Paxton, who defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) for the party nod, when they hosted their midterm convention in Dallas last month.

But Paxton has struggled for momentum in the red stronghold. His controversial record as the Lone Star State’s top prosecutor has raised concerns about his general election viability — and, in audio shared by the New York Times, Paxton contended that the midterm convention “dropped our numbers.”

Trump, who recently called him a “pain in the a‑‑,” is expected to rally with Paxton in San Antonio later this week.

Cook Political Report shifted the race away from Republicans to a “toss up” rating in August. Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) also considers it a coin flip, but narrowly favors Democrats, giving Talarico a 56 percent probability of flipping the seat.

DDHQ’s latest polling averages show Talarico nearly 3 points ahead of Paxton, after a smaller gap between the Senate rivals this summer.