John Cornyn

AUSTIN — Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign said it raised $4.3 million ahead of a contentious runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Cornyn has maintained more than a 2-to-1 fundraising edge over Paxton throughout the election cycle. That appeared likely to remain as voting is set to begin next week.

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Cornyn, Paxton and their allied super PACs have waged a bitter campaign that has strained loyalties throughout the Texas GOP. Texans can now brace for a final advertising blitz ahead of the runoff.

Ad tracking sites indicate both sides have booked several six-figure advertising buys this week.

Cornyn topped the first round of voting in a three-way Republican primary. But his fortunes could flip as the underfunded Paxton’s appeal to the conservative base has continued to endure despite Cornyn’s attacks.

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Cornyn’s campaign account reported a little more than $600,000 raised in a campaign finance report issued Thursday. That does not account for Cornyn’s joint fundraising committees, which were not required to file any paperwork ahead of the runoff. Including those, Cornyn’s campaign said it had about $7.6 million in the bank.

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“With two weeks to go, we are ensuring that Texas voters understand Senator Cornyn’s record of delivering conservative legislative victories for our state and Ken Paxton’s shameful record of office mismanagement, sweetheart plea deals for child sex predators, and corrupt self-enrichment,” said Cornyn campaign manager Andy Hemming in a statement.

Paxton’s campaign did not respond to messages seeking comment. The Federal Election Commission showed no report available for Paxton’s campaign late Thursday.