TX-SEN: Rick Perry says his political group will spend "whatever we need" to support John Cornyn in Senate primary

Stumping with Sen. John Cornyn in Austin on Tuesday, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the political group he chairs, called the Lone Star Freedom Project, would spend “whatever we need” to see Cornyn through his bruising Republican primary, on top of the almost $18 million it has spent on his behalf.

Cornyn, who is serving his fourth term in the U.S. Senate, is battling to keep his seat against challenges from Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston, in a contest that looks destined to go to a May runoff.

Outside groups, Senate Republican leadership and Cornyn’s own fundraising committees have spent tens of millions of dollars to support the incumbent senator and attack his GOP rivals. The Senate race in Texas became the second-most expensive in the country Tuesday, according to AdImpact, with $98.2 million in total ad spending. Some three-quarters of the cash on the GOP side has come from pro-Cornyn sources — and yet, recent public polling has shown Paxton leading the contest.

Perry’s group has spent more than all but one other group among Cornyn’s several outside backers, who along with the senator’s campaign have dropped nearly $60 million on the race, per AdImpact. The former governor made clear that would continue into the runoff if Cornyn makes it past the March 3 election.


https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/17/john-cornyn-rick-perry-texas-senate-gop-primary-early-voting-outside-spending/