Republican cavalry arrives for Ken Paxton as big-bucks Texas offensive opens cash floodgates
Republican Leaders Flood Texas Senate Race with Millions to Keep Seat in Red Hands
A coalition of top Senate Republicans is pouring a fresh wave of money into Texas to protect the Republican hold on a U.S. Senate seat that is now contested by a progressive challenger. The effort comes in the form of a new Texas political action committee (PAC), backed by the Senate Leadership Fund, the super‑PAC of Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.
The PAC, set to launch on Friday after the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, will immediately start a multi‑million‑dollar advertising campaign aimed at ensuring Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton carries the state’s Senate vote into November. Paxton is currently in a tight race with State Representative James Talarico, a Democratic candidate whose progressive stances have drawn criticism from the GOP.
“The Democrat Party is moving further to the left, and candidates like James Talarico are becoming the norm,” said Thune in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Republicans are united in keeping him out of the U.S. Senate, which is why I’m proud of the work the Senate Leadership Fund is doing to ensure Texas stays red.” The statement also praised the PAC’s plan to run ads continuously through Election Day, with the first two targeting Paxton positively and a third contrasting the two candidates.
Paxton’s campaign, which has lagged in fundraising behind Talarico’s, received a boost in the final days of the convention when Thune attended a fundraiser for the attorney general. According to a source familiar with the event, the fundraiser was one of several that helped build the Texas PAC’s initial eight‑figure ad buy.
The new PAC follows a $10 million ad purchase by MAGA Inc., the super‑PAC linked to former President Donald Trump, which was the first major midterm spend to support Paxton. Together, the two groups bring substantial financial resources into a race where Talarico has an overwhelming money advantage.
Federal filings show Talarico has raised more than $72 million since launching his Senate bid last year, while Paxton’s campaign has garnered roughly $17 million. Paxton explained to Fox News anchor Bret Baier that the fundraising gap stemmed from the timing of the primary battle. “Talarico had three extra months to raise money and not spend it, so he was able to start spending on ads that tried to pivot him from a radical socialist to a moderate Democrat,” Paxton said. “He’s been running ads for about two months. My ads have just started. We had to raise some money. But once we’re able to highlight the stark differences between a socialist and a constitutional Republican, he will not win Texas.”
Opinion polls suggest the race is close. A Fox News poll conducted at the end of July found Talarico leading Paxton 51‑48 percent. The margin has been described as a “single‑digit edge” for the Democratic challenger, underscoring the competitive nature of the contest.
The Texas Senate race is one of a handful that could decide whether the Republican Party maintains its majority in the U.S. Senate after the 2024 midterm elections. The stakes are high for the GOP, which has already invested heavily in the campaign of former Senator John Cornyn, a fellow Texas Republican who lost his seat to Talarico in a 2022 primary and whose loss prompted a scramble to rebuild party support in the state.
While the Republican National Committee’s convention in Dallas has served as a rallying point for President Donald Trump’s base, the Texas Senate race has taken on particular emphasis. Trump’s endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn was a key factor in Cornyn’s defeat, and it has set the stage for a hard‑fought battle between Paxton and Talarico.
The launch of the Texas PAC and the influx of money from both the Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc. signal a united front from GOP leadership to protect the seat. Whether the financial boost will be enough to offset Talarico’s fundraising lead and the favorable polls remains to be seen, but the campaign’s early moves indicate that the Republican Party is willing to mobilize significant resources to keep Texas in its camp.
The race will continue to evolve as both candidates ramp up advertising and outreach in the coming weeks. As the election approaches, voters in Texas will have to weigh the contrasting platforms of a state‑wide attorney general and a progressive state representative, a decision that could shape the balance of power in Washington for the next two years.