Republicans Make Costly Push to Try to Save Cornyn

New York Times: “Allies of Mr. Cornyn have spent about $50 million on advertising on his behalf since last July, an unheard-of sum to support a fourth-term incumbent running for re-election in a primary contest.”

“The outlay is all the more remarkable because the three-way March primary race is widely expected to go to a runoff election in May. That Cornyn supporters believe he needs millions of dollars in spending just to advance to the runoff speaks to how precariously he is positioned in a party in which he was once seen as a potential Senate leader.”

“By contrast, his top challenger, the hard-line Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, has been so confident in his support from the Republican base that he has done barely any advertising at all.”