following, especially in such a vast state as Texas. In 2012, Cruz had the luxury of several extra months on the ground, as his primary was in late May and the runoff in late July.

Cornyn also has a huge financial edge. He has nearly $7 million cash on hand and allies have collected more than $2 million in a political action committee.

Analysts agree that Barton has the mailing list to draw donors from across the country. But to win, he would also need a sizable investment from outside groups such as Club for Growth, the Senate Conservatives Fund and FreedomWorks. The PACs aren’t saying whether they’d get involved in Texas, but several already are targeting other races in smaller states like Kentucky and Mississippi, where an investment ofseveral million dollars would go farther.

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Republican consultants also suspect that national groups might hesitate to back Barton because he has made some inflammatory statements, such as suggesting the federal government should regulate homosexuality as an unhealthy lifestyle, akin to eating too much trans fat.

Cornyn’s aides express confidence that he retains wide support. When the campaign offered yard signs to supporters earlier this week, it got 25,000 requests in 24 hours. The senator recently secured the endorsement of Texas Right to Life and has top rankings from the National Rifle Association, Americans for Tax Reform and the American Conservative Union, among others.

“Endorsed by the largest pro-life organization in Texas and with a perfect 100 percent from National Right to Life, Sen.