Congress

Cornyn and Paxton rake in millions in expensive Texas Senate primary

Published

6 months ago

October 16, 2025

Texas’ GOP Senate primary is widely expected to be a bruising and costly fight — and so far the money race is highly competitive between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Cornyn’s political operation hauled in roughly $3.4 million in the third quarter across his campaign and two joint fundraising committees, according to Federal Election Commission filings. But only a portion of that will go to campaign funds that he controls; his campaign itself reported raising $910,000 between July and September.

Paxton, meanwhile, raked in just under $1.3 million directly to his campaign account, according to his filing. That means Paxton may have outraised Cornyn in actual campaign cash raised, though it’s unclear because some of the money Cornyn raised through his joint fundraising committees has not yet been sent to his campaign account.

The incumbent senator entered the next phase of the primary with nearly double Paxton’s cash on hand, $6 million to $3.1 million.

Rep. Wesley Hunt, the rising GOP star who entered the primary this month, raised $366,000 during the last quarter as a House candidate. That money can now be used for his Senate run, and he started October with $1.5 million in cash on hand.

Cornyn has steadily chipped away at Paxton’s early polling advantage, bolstered by a surge in support from national Republicans as he seeks a fifth term against the MAGA darling and, now, a rising GOP star in Hunt. A University of Houston/Texas Southern University survey conducted ahead of Hunt’s launch had Paxton and Cornyn effectively tied, with Hunt trailing. All three are positioning themselves as allies of President Donald Trump as they try to land his critical endorsement.

Whoever emerges from the primary will face a Democratic nominee eager to accomplish the longtime party dream of flipping Texas blue. The Democratic race includes former Rep. Colin Allred, state Rep. James Talarico and astronaut Terry Virts. Talarico raised nearly $6.3 million and had just under $5 million in cash on hand, according to his filing. Allred’s campaign announced it had raised $4.1 million. Virts collected under $272,000, including from a refund from a vendor, per his filing.

Jessica Piper contributed to this report.

Congress

Senate launches budget debate

Published

47 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Republicans opened debate Tuesday on a fiscal blueprint meant to pave the way for passage of a party-line immigration enforcement funding bill later this year.

The Senate voted 52-46 to advance the budget resolution, which Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unveiled earlier Tuesday. It instructs House and Senate committees to write legislation expected to deliver about $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies.

The Senate is expected to give the measure final approval this week before leaving town. The chamber could move to a marathon voting session, known as a vote-a-rama, as soon as Wednesday, though plenty of Republicans are betting that it won’t start until Thursday.

Congress

Cherfilus-McCormick resigns amid ethics investigation

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) has resigned in the face of corruption charges at home and calls for her ouster in Washington, she announced in a statement on Tuesday.

News broke minutes before the House Ethics Committee was about to meet for a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to determine a punishment for the third-term Democrat, who was charged with stealing $5 million in Covid relief funds.

Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement the Ethics proceedings did not constitute a “fair process” and that she was “choos[ing] to step aside” rather than “play these political games.”

Congress

Rick Scott holds up Coast Guard promotions

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is blocking quick confirmation of hundreds of Coast Guard promotions as he tries to resolve a dispute involving a shipbuilder in his home state.

The Republican said in an interview Tuesday that he has placed a hold on the Coast Guard promotions, which prevents the Senate from easily clearing them unanimously and would force Majority Leader John Thune to set up time-consuming roll call votes on promotions that are usually agreed to with little fanfare.

“I’ve been talking … since Trump came into office about trying to resolve an issue they have with a boat builder in Florida. And they … won’t put the time in to get a result,” Scott said.

“I’ve met with everybody that I can meet with, and I want them to focus,” Scott said of the Coast Guard, adding that he wasn’t trying to dictate the outcome to the administration but emphasizing “you have to get this resolved.”

Scott didn’t specify which shipbuilder he was referring to. But Scott has been a longtime booster of a Coast Guard contract with Panama City-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to deliver four new advanced cutters. A person granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter said the hold is related to the company.

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem scrapped plans for two of the boats last year, and ESG announced in November it would stop work on the two remaining boats “due to significant financial strain caused by the program’s structure and conditions.”

The tussle over the nominations comes as Thune is trying to quickly assemble and approve a new personnel package, telling reporters Monday night that confirming another tranche of President Donald Trump’s nominees is a priority alongside resolving the DHS shutdown and renewing soon-to-lapse surveillance powers.