Ken Paxton visits Lubbock on U.S. Senate campaign trail - KCBD

Paxton first came through Lubbock in May, during his primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Former President Donald Trump endorsed him just a week before that election, and Paxton went on to win the nomination with nearly 64% of the vote.

Now Paxton is turning to November, running on what he calls an "America First" platform. He is pitching lower living costs and economic relief for Texans as his main message. That framing lets him present himself as a continuation of Trump's political agenda heading into the general election.

For Lubbock, two visits from a statewide candidate in one cycle signals that West Texas matters to this race. Republican primary voters here helped hand Paxton a blowout win over a sitting senator, and campaigns tend to come back to places that deliver numbers like that. Whether he keeps showing up between now and November will say a lot about how competitive Texas Republicans think this Senate seat actually is.