Washington, D.C. (NEXSTAR) - The Texas Senate primary is less than a week away as advertising spending has surpassed a record $110 million. Republican leaders warn the race to unseat longtime Sen. John Cornyn could determine the party's control of the U.S. Senate. Cornyn faces challenges from Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt for the Republican nomination. Party officials caution that if Cornyn does not secure the nomination, the seat could be vulnerable to Democratic challengers in the general election. Sen. Tim Scott addressed the high stakes of the race during an appearance on Fox and Friends. Scott said there is a strong possibility that Republicans cannot hold the seat in Texas if Cornyn is not the party nominee. Cornyn, who has served in the Senate for 24 years, has focused his recent campaign efforts on voter turnout. "I've been doing everything I can to encourage Texans to get out and vote," Cornyn said. Character has become a central issue in the race, particularly regarding Paxton's legal history. Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, which were later dropped in 2024 after he agreed to pay restitution. He was also impeached by the Texas House but subsequently acquitted on corruption charges. Cornyn has criticized Paxton's character throughout the campaign. Paxton responded to those criticisms by questioning the senator's record. "I say he's a desperate man," Paxton said. "He has not delivered for the people of Texas for over four decades." Paxton also highlighted his early support for the former president. "I'm a huge fan," Paxton said. "I've been a huge fan of his ever since he ran the first time." Rep. Hunt is positioning his campaign as a call for a new generation of Republican leadership. "It's time for change. 24-year-incumbent is just too long," Hunt said. He emphasized that younger voters need to take a more active role in the political process. "It's time for the millennials to step up, get this fight and be the bridge between the older generation and the generation that's coming right behind us," Hunt said. While former President Donald Trump has not endorsed any of the three candidates, Cornyn has also emphasized his alignment with the former administration. "We've talked about the 99.3% of the time that I voted to support the President," Cornyn said. The $110 million spending figure was reported by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The total includes record-breaking advertising expenditures from both candidates and various political groups ahead of the primary. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election. That contest would take place in May. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published