Trump Mocks Paxton Even as He Raises Millions for Texas Senate Bid

President Donald Trump told the crowd he would not say it, then said it anyway. For a second consecutive night at the Republicans' midterm convention, he poked fun at Ken Paxton, the party's Senate nominee in Texas.

"I don't really like the way he looks," Trump said, drawing laughter from an audience in Paxton's home state. He quickly added that Paxton was "our greatest attorney general" and "deserves to go to the United States Senate."

Paxton simply grinned. He is locked in a tight race with Democratic nominee James Talarico, and the convention stage has effectively become a national fundraising platform for one of the party's most important yet underfunded candidates.

"I need your prayers, your votes and your support," Paxton told the convention.

With two months left, money is beginning to flow. MAGA Inc., Trump's super PAC, announced last week it would spend $10 million. America PAC, linked to Elon Musk, has spent $250,000. On Friday, the Senate Leadership Fund said it would contribute $13.8 million.

The president's mockery began earlier in the Oval Office, when he remarked that "some people don't like the way he dresses, or some people don't like the way he interviews or talks." Later that night in the Rose Garden, it became clear Trump meant himself.

"It's so insulting to him, but I might as well say it. You might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews," Trump said, while noting that Paxton's record as attorney general "speaks a lot louder than the suit he's wearing that doesn't look so great."

Paxton is not the camera-ready performer Trump typically favors. He is a bit rumpled and speaks softly even before large crowds. But he has built a reputation as a conservative legal warrior, particularly through challenges to former President Joe Biden's policies in court. He also shares Trump's sense of political persecution.

"The press, the courts and the establishment all tried to take President Trump down, but he's won every single time," Paxton told the convention. "He's delivered more for this country than anyone before."

Paxton has faced investigations for years. He was impeached by the Republican-led Texas House but acquitted by the Senate. A federal corruption case was dropped without charges, and a state probe into securities fraud allegations was settled. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

His victory is seen as important to Republican efforts to keep control of the Senate. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the majority leader who opposed Paxton's primary bid against four-term incumbent John Cornyn, held a fundraiser with Paxton on Thursday morning, according to a Republican operative who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Campaign finance figures show Talarico with a large advantage, having raised $68 million to Paxton's $9 million. Under federal election rules, candidates get cheaper advertising rates than independent organizations such as super PACs.

Since the primary, Talarico and one smaller allied group have spent $37.8 million on advertising, while four super PACs have carried almost the entire load for Paxton, spending $24.4 million, according to AdImpact.

Senate Republican leaders had complained loudly last year that Paxton's record of ethical and legal questions would require at least $100 million more to carry him to victory, even in a Republican-heavy state like Texas. They petitioned Trump and his team to open their coffers.

"There's no sense bubble wrapping it. We've got a race in Texas," Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told Fox News last month, adding that "money is an issue" and "we need help from the president."

If Paxton wins, it will be hailed as proof of Trump's political instincts and his ability to mold the Republican Party in his image. If he loses, it would be the first time Texas has sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, and Trump could be blamed for doing too little, too late.