Opinion: Republicans Have a Texas-Sized Senate Problem on Their Hands. What’s It Going To Cost Them?

BRANDON BELL / Brandon Bell/Getty Images This column is being republished with permission from its original home on Substack.

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As November’s midterm elections loom ominously on the GOP’s horizon, Texas Republican Sen.

John Cornyn has unloaded on the man who beat him in a runoff to become the Republican nominee in the state’s Senate race over the summer: Ken Paxton.

“Paxton’s a poor campaigner,” Cornyn told the Texas Tribune .

“He’s lazy and doesn’t raise money.

And he basically is not offering a very compelling case for his election.

He’s making this harder than it needs to be.

But so be it — we are where we are.” You might be tempted to dismiss Cornyn’s comments as simply sour grapes — after all, Paxton ended the incumbent’s Senate career over the summer by a whopping 28 points .

And I am sure Cornyn is bitter.

But he’s also right! Here’s the fundraising numbers (as of June 30) for Paxton and Democratic nominee James Talarico: Paxton: $9.2 million raised, $7.5 million spent, $1.75 million on hand Talarico: $68 million raised, $47 million spent, $21.5 million on hand Talarico has raised seven times more than Paxton—and has 12 times as much money left to spend.

And it’s not just Cornyn making that point.

Louisiana GOP Sen.

John Kennedy, in an appearance on Fox News on Sunday , bluntly admitted that “money is a problem” in the Texas race, adding: “We in the Senate don’t have the money budgeted for Texas.