Republicans boost Ken Paxton with new Texas Senate spending
Texas Senate race heats up as GOP boosts Ken Paxton with new ad spending Party leaders unite behind Paxton, with major TV buys set to shape the race
Top Senate Republicans are increasing spending in Texas as the race for the state’s open Senate seat intensifies ahead of the midterms. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, announced a new Texas PAC on Friday to support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The group said it will begin an initial eightfigure ad campaign and keep running ads through Election Day. The first spots are expected to present Paxton positively and contrast him with Democratic candidate James Talarico, whom Republicans have criticized as too progressive for Texas.
The move comes after Donald Trump’s affiliated super PAC, MAGA Inc., also committed $10 million in ad spending for Paxton. Republicans previously backed Sen. John Cornyn in the primary, but party leaders are now presenting a united front behind Paxton as polling shows a close race. Recent surveys have given Talarico a narrow lead, while his campaign has also raised far more money than Paxton so far.