Former President George W. Bush is helping raise money for Republican Senate candidates in several competitive races across the country, but the effort does not include Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee seeking Texas’ open Senate seat.

Bush appeared Monday at a Dallas fundraiser hosted by outgoing Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for the joint fundraising committee Maintain the Majority. The group is supporting Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, along with Senate candidates John Sununu of New Hampshire, Ashley Hinson of Iowa and Mike Rogers of Michigan.

Paxton was not included among the candidates benefiting from the fundraiser. He defeated Cornyn in the Republican primary earlier this year after a closely watched contest that pitted the incumbent senator against the Texas attorney general. Paxton's primary residence is located in a gated community in McKinney, Texas, less than an hour away from Dallas by car.

The omission is particularly notable given Bush's long political ties to Texas and the fact that Paxton is now running to represent the state in the Senate. Bush has largely stayed out of electoral politics in recent years, although he has occasionally participated in Republican fundraising efforts.

Paxton is facing Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the Nov. 3 general election. The Texas Senate race has drawn significant national attention, with outside groups spending heavily on both sides. A recent Washington Post analysis of campaign-finance filings, for example, found that Elon Musk's America PAC spent $250,000 supporting Paxton.

The Maintain the Majority fundraiser also illustrates the range of Senate contests Republicans are concentrating on in 2026, including races involving Collins, Husted, Sullivan, Hinson, Rogers and Sununu. Paxton is pursuing his own fundraising operation as the Texas campaign enters its final stretch.