EXCLUSIVE — Former President Donald Trump will host a fundraiser at his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is battling a liberal Democratic challenger in the November general election.
Paxton is leading 34% to 32% against Rochelle Garza, a political newcomer, according to a Dallas Morning News-University of Texas poll released Sunday. The two-term attorney general also received Trump’s endorsement in 2018, along with that of Donald Trump Jr.
This time, Trump’s support helped Paxton defeat Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush in a bruising primary battle.
“I think a lot of Republicans have had enough of it,” Paxton said in a radio interview earlier this year. “The Bushes have had their chances. It’s time for the dynasty to end. It’s time for somebody to get in there and fight and not capitulate to the establishment.”
The fundraiser will be held Sept. 1 and will feature a dinner reception with Trump, an after-party at a private home, and a golf opportunity with Trump for higher-level donors.
Tickets begin at $1,000 and top out at $50,000, which enables a photo with Trump and attendance at a roundtable. Names of other attendees were not released.
During the primary, Paxton tweeted a statement from Trump: “Attorney General Ken Paxton has been bravely on the front line in the fight for Texas and against the vicious and very dangerous Radical Left Democrats, and the foolish and unsuspecting RINOs that are destroying our country.”
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Paxton rankled opponents for authoring an opinion classifying transgender procedures for minors as abuse and suing the Biden administration 31 times over its border policies. Texas won more than 90% of those cases, Paxton’s office said.
In addition, Paxton is investigating social media companies that police say enable human smuggling across the border.
Garza is a former American Civil Liberties Union attorney who has fought against the state’s near-total ban on abortion. She has worked on immigrant rights cases and opposes Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) efforts to build a border wall, saying America needs a “more humane immigration system,” ABC8 reported.
Over recent months, Garza netted nearly $520,000 in campaign donations, compared to the $340,000 raised by Paxton. Yet Paxton is sitting on a $3.5 million war chest, his campaign told the Washington Examiner.
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Meanwhile, Trump has been making headlines of his own after his Palm Beach home was raided last week by FBI agents searching for classified documents. Agents seized 20 boxes during the early morning hours. Trump has continued to hold rallies across the nation for Republican candidates.
