AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was left off a fundraising effort hosted by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and former President George W. Bush for six Republican Senate candidates, an omission that highlights divisions within the state’s Republican Party ahead of a closely watched November election. Paxton is challenging Democrat James Talarico in the Nov. 3 midterm election. Cornyn defeated Paxton in the Republican Senate primary runoff in March, and major donors who backed Cornyn have not generally supported Paxton, according to the reported account of the fundraising divide. The reasons for Bush’s decision are not known. The split comes amid tensions between established Texas Republicans and candidates backed by President Donald Trump, a divide political observers have noted. Paxton has clashed with members of Bush’s political circle before. In the 2022 Republican primary runoff for attorney general, he faced George P. Bush, the former president’s nephew. The contest turned negative, with both campaigns creating websites to attack the other. Paxton also criticized Karl Rove, Bush’s longtime adviser and former deputy chief of staff. In a 2023 appearance on the Tucker Carlson Network, Paxton said Rove was “not conservative” and was more aligned with Bill Clinton and Barack Obama than with Texas voters. Despite being excluded from the fundraiser, Paxton has received substantial backing for advertising. The Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund added $30 million to its ad spending on his behalf, bringing its planned buy to $100 million ahead of the election. The scale of that outside spending underscores the role large donors and super PACs can play in shaping voters’ exposure to candidates and campaigns. Early voting begins Oct. 19, and the deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5.