EXCLUSIVE — Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) raised $3.4 million in the third quarter of this year, padding his war chest for what will be one of the most expensive races of the 2026 cycle.

The fundraising haul, first shared with the Washington Examiner, reflects the totals raised for his campaign account as well as two joint fundraising committees that split proceeds between the Cornyn campaign and aligned groups.

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The Cornyn campaign did not provide a breakdown of how much was raised by each account, but most of his fundraising came from joint committees in the filing from three months ago. In total, Cornyn had $10.5 million cash on hand at the end of the third quarter, which runs from July through September.

The Tuesday announcement comes a day after Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) entered the Senate race, further complicating Cornyn’s path to a fifth term. So far, the primary fight has been bitterly fought between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with a second Republican challenger increasing the odds of a runoff next May.

Paxton has not yet reported figures for the third quarter, but he and Cornyn both raised around $3 million in their second quarter filings. At the time, Cornyn reported an extra $1 million in joint fundraising that will go to other groups backing him in 2026 rather than his campaign directly.

The fundraising is unfolding against the backdrop of an expensive battle to define one another to primary voters. Paxton had enjoyed an early polling advantage, but Cornyn and affiliated outside groups have spent millions to all but erase his lead, running ads that either present Cornyn as a loyal steward of President Donald Trump’s agenda or question Paxton’s ethics and judgment.

Paxton, who is accused of adultery, faced a bevy of negative headlines over the summer, including the divorce of his wife on “biblical grounds.”

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“Senator Cornyn is soaring in all available public polling after Ken Paxton’s summer from Hell,” said Cornyn campaign manager Andy Hemming. “We are grateful for the generous support of so many patriotic Texans and Americans who strongly believe President Trump needs John Cornyn fighting for their agenda in the U.S. Senate.”

Paxton’s allies have begun to go negative on the airwaves as well by painting Cornyn as a fake conservative, though he is running at a fundraising deficit when accounting for all outside PACs.

Hunt’s entry into the race was not a surprise, as his camp had been airing ads well outside of his Houston-area district for weeks, but it nonetheless threatens to fracture the party further and was announced against the wishes of congressional leadership, which is backing Cornyn.

On the Democratic side, Cornyn faces two major candidates vying for his seat. State Rep. James Talarico, who raised his profile sparring with Republicans in the Texas statehouse over religion, announced $6.2 million in fundraising in the first six weeks of his campaign.

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Ex-Rep. Colin Allred, meanwhile, reported $4.1 million raised since launching his campaign on July 1.

Allred lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2024, with the race attracting a whopping $200 million in candidate spending, according to OpenSecrets. Despite Texas’s red lean, it was among the most expensive states that election cycle.