Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pushed back Sunday on Senator John Cornyn's characterization of him as a "lazy" campaigner, insisting he is logging grueling hours on the trail ahead of the November election.

"John Cornyn doesn't know my schedule. He doesn't know how many hours I'm putting in every day, 18 hours a day," Paxton told Fox News's Jacqui Heinrich on "The Sunday Briefing."

Read also
Politics
GOP Campaign Committees Ask Supreme Court to Restore Discounted Ad Rates
The NRSC and NRCC are asking the Supreme Court to overturn a Fourth Circuit ruling that stripped political parties of discounted TV ad rates, threatening their midterm spending plans.

Paxton, who defeated Cornyn by more than 27 points in the May GOP runoff, said he has been "driving all over the state," raising money, and doing his "best to connect to as many voters as possible." He dismissed Cornyn's remarks as "completely fabricated."

Earlier this month, Cornyn told The Texas Tribune that while he supports the party's ticket, his former primary rival risks losing to Democratic nominee James Talarico. "Paxton's a poor campaigner," Cornyn said. "He's lazy and doesn't raise money. And he basically is not offering a very compelling case for his election."

Paxton countered that he is averaging roughly 18 hours of campaigning per day and stopped in "four or five different cities" on Saturday alone. He also said he has reached out to "many" Cornyn donors since the runoff, arguing that "if we lose this race, we're going to lose the U.S. Senate and we're going to lose Texas."

The race remains tight, with a recent Texas Public Opinion Research poll showing Talarico ahead 47 percent to 40 percent, outside the margin of error. Decision Desk HQ gives Talarico a 55 percent chance of victory, which would make him the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.

Talarico also holds a significant financial edge, with more than $21.5 million in campaign cash as of the end of June, compared to less than $1.8 million for Paxton's operation, according to the Federal Election Commission. Paxton has since set up a joint fundraising committee with the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Paxton remains confident, telling Heinrich: "We have to win this race, and we are going to win." The race is drawing national attention, with Donald Trump stumping for Paxton in Texas. Meanwhile, Mark Cuban has joined Talarico to push an antitrust health plan, and statewide polls show Democrats ahead in key House races.