Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has injected $10 million into the Texas Senate race to boost Ken Paxton and attack Democrat James Talarico, raising the stakes as Republicans fight to keep a seat they’ve held for decades.
The financial surge comes as Federal Election Commission filings show MAGA Inc. allocated $10 million for two major advertisements, dividing the money evenly between supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate bid and opposing state Rep. James Talarico. The payment, routed through political media company Del Ray Media, marks MAGA Inc.’s largest single expenditure of the 2026 general election cycle and underscores the national GOP’s determination to defend a seat that has not gone blue in three decades. The Hill reported the spending on Saturday, citing the FEC filings.
The timing is no accident. Polls from August placed Paxton six points behind Talarico, and fundraising numbers have tilted even more heavily in the Democrat’s favor. Talarico’s campaign has raised roughly $69 million to Paxton’s $9 million, and holds $21.5 million in cash on hand compared with Paxton’s $1.75 million, according to the New York Post. With the race described as neck and neck, Republicans are facing the real possibility of losing their Senate majority if Texas flips.
MAGA Inc.’s $10 million investment is split between positive ads for Paxton and attack ads targeting Talarico, whom the super PAC labels “High Tax Talarico” and accuses of wanting to “take money out of Texans’ pockets.” Spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer stated, “MAGA Inc. is going to ensure Texas knows about Talarico’s radical policies and elects Ken Paxton to the U.S. Senate.” The advertisements are expected to focus on Talarico’s tax proposals and other positions, including his vote against criminal penalties for foreign entities purchasing Texas land, a point Republicans have seized to question his priorities.
The Texas Senate race has become a financial arms race, and Paxton is playing catch-up. Despite holding statewide office and earning Trump’s endorsement in the Republican primary, Paxton has trailed badly in fundraising. Talarico’s war chest, nearly $72 million raised, according to Fox News, has allowed the Democrat to flood the airwaves, while Paxton’s own campaign managed just $16.8 million by comparison. MAGA Inc.’s outside support is now critical for the Republican’s path to victory.
President Trump’s super PAC has the firepower to make a difference. Trump recently said MAGA Inc. had $1 billion at its disposal and planned to spend between $400 million and $500 million on the November midterms. Reports in June estimated the group’s finances at about $400 million, giving the former president’s political network an unprecedented war chest for down-ballot races. “I’m going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us,” Trump said, as quoted by the New York Post.
The urgency is not lost on Republican strategists. Karl Rove warned, “time is running out,” and said, “If the president wants to have Paxton win, he needs to be tossing a lot of money Paxton’s way so that ads can be run that depict Talarico as the far-left winger that he is.” Lone Star Liberty PAC is also scheduled to run similar ads against Talarico throughout September, expanding the GOP’s media push as early voting nears.
Once considered a guaranteed Republican seat, Texas has become a high-stakes battleground. The Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of the Senate contest to a toss-up, reflecting the state’s changing political landscape. Trump carried Texas by about 14 points in the 2024 presidential election, but the GOP’s grip is slipping as Democrats close the gap and outspend their rivals.
At the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Trump and leading GOP figures, including Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Vice President JD Vance, are rallying the base and highlighting the urgency of the Senate fight. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters summed up the message: “This election comes down to one simple choice: lower costs, lower taxes, secure borders, and common sense versus higher taxes, wide open borders, and the radical liberal agenda the Democrat Party has fully embraced,” as Just The News reported.
Democrats, for their part, have dismissed the Republican ad blitz as “billionaire-backed dark money groups...lying about James Talarico because they’re scared of the people-powered movement we’re building,” according to a statement from Talarico’s campaign cited by Fox News.
As the campaign intensifies, Texans face a clear contrast. Talarico has promised to raise taxes on billionaires while cutting taxes for working families and small businesses, a message his campaign hopes will win over moderate voters. Paxton and his allies, meanwhile, are betting that linking Talarico to “radical” positions and national Democrats will resonate in a state wary of progressive policies and open borders.
The final weeks will test whether massive outside spending can turn the tide for Republicans, or if Democrats’ fundraising edge and grassroots push can break the GOP’s grip on the Lone Star State’s Senate seat.
In the end, Texas voters, not super PACs or party bosses, will decide if the state remains a bulwark against Washington’s leftward lurch, or if Democrats’ spending and promises sway enough hearts to tip the balance.
