Trump’s MAGA Inc. Drops $10 Million Into Texas Senate Race—Half to Boost Paxton, Half to Attack Talarico
A $10 million advertising decision has turned the Texas U.S. Senate race into one of the clearest early tests of Donald Trump’s midterm political machine.
MAGA Inc., the super PAC aligned with the president, has committed $5 million to ads supporting Republican nominee Ken Paxton and another $5 million to ads opposing Democratic nominee James Talarico, according to reports published Saturday, September 5. The reservation covers digital and connected-television advertising and represents the group’s first major general-election expenditure of the 2026 cycle.
The split is the revealing part. Half of the money is designed to introduce or reinforce Paxton’s case to voters; the other half is aimed directly at defining Talarico before he can do so himself. In a state Republicans have long treated as a reliable Senate stronghold, a national group’s decision to spend eight figures this early signals that both persuasion and defense are already priorities.
What the $10 million actually means
The spending was disclosed in a federal filing and reported by The Texas Tribune, The Associated Press and Reuters.
It is important to distinguish an independent expenditure from a campaign contribution. MAGA Inc. is not transferring $10 million to Paxton’s campaign. As a super PAC, it can raise and spend unlimited sums to influence an election, but federal law bars it from coordinating that advertising with the candidate or campaign it is supporting.
That structure allows the group to buy a large block of media on Paxton’s behalf while keeping the spending legally separate from his campaign committee. The reported plan divides the reservation evenly: $5 million for positive Paxton advertising and $5 million for negative Talarico advertising.
Paxton and Talarico enter with very different profiles
Paxton, Texas’ attorney general, secured the Republican nomination after defeating incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the primary. Trump backed Paxton in that contest, and the new ad reservation extends that support into the general election.
Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative and former public-school teacher, emerged from the Democratic primary with a national fundraising base. His principal campaign committee reported $68.6 million in total receipts and $21.5 million in cash on hand through June 30, according to the Federal Election Commission. Those totals cover the committee’s reporting period beginning in September 2025 and are separate from any outside-group spending.
The ad strategy reflects those contrasting positions. Positive spots can help Paxton consolidate voters after a bruising primary, while opposition advertising gives MAGA Inc. an opportunity to shape perceptions of Talarico before the campaign’s final stretch. The initial negative message portrays the Democrat as too liberal for Texas; Talarico’s campaign has disputed that framing and pointed to his legislative record, including property-tax relief.
Why Texas drew the first major general-election buy
The expenditure also offers a first look at how Trump’s outside political operation may deploy its much larger war chest. One day before the Texas filing was reported, Trump said his super PAC planned to direct roughly $400 million to $500 million toward the midterms, according to Reuters.
Ten million dollars is only a small portion of that possible national total, but choosing Texas for the group’s opening general-election push matters. It suggests the state will not be left entirely to the candidates and local party organizations, even as Republicans argue that their statewide advantage remains durable.
Outside spending does not, by itself, establish who is leading. It can reflect opportunity, caution, an attempt to lock in an advantage early or some combination of all three. But it does establish that both nominees will now face a far larger and more nationalized communications battle.
What comes next
Texas voters are scheduled to decide the race in the November 3 general election. Between now and then, the practical questions will be whether the initial $10 million reservation expands, how quickly Democratic groups answer it and whether the campaign stays focused on state issues or becomes a broader referendum on Trump’s second term.
For the moment, the most concrete signal is on the airwaves: Trump’s principal super PAC has chosen Texas for its first major general-election investment, and it is spending just as much to weaken Talarico as it is to strengthen Paxton.
