WASHINGTON — Following weeks of anticipation regarding President Donald Trump’s potential involvement in Texas, MAGA Inc., the primary pro-Trump super PAC, has invested $10 million in advertising for the Texas Senate race.
This expenditure, which encompasses television streaming and digital ads, marks MAGA Inc.’s inaugural spending in the general election, underscoring the significance of the Texas Senate contest to Trump’s political strategy and the race’s competitiveness.
Of the $10 million allocation, $5 million will be dedicated to positive ads supporting Republican Ken Paxton, a Trump ally, while the remaining funds will focus on negative messaging targeting Democrat James Talarico. This financial commitment was revealed in a Federal Election Commission filing on Saturday afternoon.
The announcement of MAGA Inc.’s ad buy follows the involvement of another major Republican figure, Texas billionaire Elon Musk, whose America PAC has already spent $1.4 million against Talarico through digital media and print efforts.
This influx of funds comes amid calls from Republicans for Trump to engage in Texas, where recent polls have shown Talarico maintaining a slight lead. Talarico has significantly outpaced Paxton in fundraising and spending over the summer, reporting over $30 million raised in the second quarter compared to Paxton’s more than $9 million.
Political analysts describe the race as highly competitive, a rare occurrence in Texas, where Democrats have not won a statewide election in over thirty years.
MAGA Inc. spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer criticized Talarico’s policies, stating, “High Tax Talarico wants to take money out of Texans’ pockets. MAGA Inc. is going to ensure Texas knows about Talarico’s radical policies and elects Ken Paxton to the U.S. Senate.”
The PAC has released two 30-second advertisements that emphasize tax policy. These ads promote Paxton’s economic strategy, which includes tax breaks for healthcare and housing, while attacking Talarico on property tax issues, particularly his vote against a bill that would require elections for any property tax increases exceeding 3.5%.
One ad succinctly states, “Talarico? Higher taxes. Paxton? Lower taxes. A clear choice.”
Talarico’s economic vision involves increasing taxes on corporations and billionaires while also expanding tax credits for parents and low-income workers.
A representative for Talarico countered that the advertisements misrepresent the Democrat’s stance on taxes. “Billionaire-backed dark money groups are lying about James Talarico because they’re scared of the people-powered movement we’re building to fix this broken, corrupt political system,” said Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis. “James was proud to vote for the largest property tax cut in Texas history and has consistently voted to cut taxes for working Texans.”
Despite making ad reservations in nearly every competitive Senate race, the Senate Leadership Fund, aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has yet to allocate funds for Texas in the general election. Thune acknowledged the high cost of campaigning in Texas, where there are 20 media markets, making statewide ad purchases significantly more expensive compared to states like Michigan and Iowa. He urged Trump to invest in Texas during an appearance on Fox News earlier this week, stating, “All of our allies out there, including the president and his team and their resources, need to be brought to bear on Texas, because it’s not one that we can lose if we’re going to hang on to a Republican majority.”
With just over six weeks remaining until early voting begins, additional spending from MAGA Inc. is anticipated. The PAC reportedly has over $400 million available, while Trump mentioned he controls nearly $1 billion across various PACs and nonprofits, with expectations to spend between $400 million and $500 million on the midterm elections.
Ad rates vary, but Thune estimated that a statewide television ad might cost around $8 million per week in Texas alone.
Campaign funds also stretch further than PAC funds on broadcast media, as candidates can access discounted rates from stations, allowing them to purchase more ad time. However, MAGA Inc.’s recent ad buy focuses on connected television and digital platforms, where campaigns and PACs compete equally.
So far, Talarico’s campaign has invested $40.1 million in general election advertising, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact, while Paxton’s campaign has spent approximately $264,000 primarily on digital mediums.
Paxton secured his position against Sen. John Cornyn, who has historically been a stronger fundraiser and was favored by Senate Republicans, in a primary runoff earlier this year, thanks in part to Trump’s endorsement shortly before the election. Trump has lauded Paxton as the best attorney general in the country and commended his loyalty.
Paxton has drawn attention to the differences between himself and Talarico regarding tax policy, sharing the ad and expressing gratitude to Trump, stating, “together we will win for Texas and America.”
Talarico had previously outspent Paxton’s allies for much of the summer, using positive advertisements to familiarize voters with his platform before launching a negative campaign against Paxton regarding corruption allegations in late August.
Before MAGA Inc.’s entry into the fray, Paxton had received support from Lone Star Liberty PAC, which has spent $18.9 million on the general election, along with contributions from a dark money group called Preserve Texas Inc. and an outside organization funded by West Texas billionaire Tim Dunn.
Currently, with MAGA Inc.’s ads yet to air, Democrats have expended $41.7 million, largely from Talarico, compared to $24.3 million from Republicans in the Texas Senate race.
By November, the spending on this race could set a record in Texas, with estimates suggesting total expenditures could reach $200 million. In his previous race against Democrat Colin Allred, which he won by 8.5 percentage points, AdImpact recorded $202 million in general election ad spending.
