‘We need help’: Kennedy asks Trump for up to $200M to boost Paxton in a very close Texas race

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is reportedly facing calls to make a major financial push for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton as Democrats mount a competitive challenge in Texas in the upcoming November midterms.

Republican Senator John Kennedy on Sunday, August 30, said that Republicans “need help from the president” and suggested Trump spend as much as $200 million to support Paxton’s campaign. The appeal comes as Representative James Talarico has emerged as a serious Democratic challenger and has built a substantial fundraising advantage, prompting a very close race in a state Republicans have long dominated.

John Kennedy says Ken Paxton campaign needs Trump’s financial help

Paxton, Texas’ attorney general, won the Republican Senate primary in May after defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn with Trump’s endorsement and is now preparing for the November midterm election against Talarico. 

A poll released on Thursday by a Democratic-linked polling firm showed Talarico leading Paxton by six points. He, however, disputed the polling, saying, "I don’t trust all these polls, but we definitely have a close race." 

Paxton also indicated that he expected financial assistance from Trump’s MAGA Inc PAC, which has more than $800 million available but has so far been selective about spending during the current election cycle.

The financial disparity between the candidates has become a central issue in the race. Paxton had about $2 million in his campaign account at the end of June, compared with Talarico's nearly $21 million.

Senate Republicans have also been cautious about committing additional resources to the race. Kennedy said the National Republican Senatorial Committee had not budgeted money for Texas, as Republicans never face a competitive contest there. “We in the Senate don’t have the money budgeted for Texas. We need help from the president,” he said on Fox News' 'The Sunday Briefing'.

“The president says he has $850 million in his campaign accounts. That’s a lot of jack," Kennedy shared. "I’m hoping that the president’s gonna spend $100 or $200 million in Texas but he hasn’t committed to it yet."

Trump vows to campaign for Paxton but no spending figure set

Trump has continued to publicly back Paxton and even recently on Thursday, said that he intends to devote significant time to helping him defeat Talarico. “We have a very good candidate, Ken Paxton,” the 80-year-old said. “We’re working very hard. We want to win that race. So I’m going to help Ken Paxton, and I’m going to spend a lot of time in Texas.” 

The White House has, however, not specified how much money Trump plans to spend on Paxton’s behalf. Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration did not have a dollar figure for the effort but confirmed that Trump plans to campaign for Republican candidates across the country.

“I don’t have an exact dollar figure for you,” she told Fox News. “But he’s going to be out there traversing the country, meeting with everyday Americans and campaigning on behalf of the great Republican candidates across the board.”

The Texas race is now considered a major midterm contest this year, as Democrats have not won a US Senate election in Texas since 1993. If Talarico wins, he would break Republicans’ decades-long winning streak in the state.