A super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump is set to inject $10 million into the Texas Senate race, according to a Federal Election Commission filing made public on Saturday. The expenditure will fund television and digital advertising, with the filing indicating that the group, MAGA Inc., will target state Representative James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat.
The move comes as Republicans increasingly urge Trump’s well-funded political operation to engage in midterm contests, particularly in Texas, where state Attorney General Ken Paxton secured the GOP nomination earlier this year. Paxton defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the primary after Trump endorsed him over the sitting senator.
GOP Concerns Over Paxton’s General Election Prospects
Following the primary, several of Cornyn’s Senate Republican colleagues have voiced concerns that Paxton may face a tougher path to victory in the general election than Cornyn would have, citing past controversies. Paxton was impeached by the Republican-led state House in 2023 on allegations of bribery and abuse of public trust, though he was later acquitted by the state Senate after a trial. Additionally, last year, Paxton’s wife, state Senator Angela Paxton, filed for divorce, citing “biblical grounds” and “recent discoveries,” without providing further details.
These events have left some Texas Republicans uneasy about Paxton’s ability to win a statewide general election, especially as the party seeks to maintain its majorities in both the House and Senate.
Pressure on Trump to Spend Early
Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, publicly called on Trump’s team to invest in Texas, estimating that advertising costs in the state run about $8 million per week. “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,” Thune said on Fox News.
Thune’s comments reflect broader frustration among some Republicans focused on retaining congressional control, with four individuals involved in GOP strategy telling NBC News that they are concerned about the president’s level of engagement in midterm campaigning. “Somewhere in him, President Trump knows he should care about the midterms and the success of the party,” one source said. “But because of that, it’s too early to tell whether he did enough to help.”
Republicans have specifically pressed Trump to deploy resources from his MAGA Inc. war chest to Senate races as early as possible, particularly in Texas. “The president said he’s going to campaign and he’s going to spend money,” a GOP operative told NBC News. “Time will tell if he was wrong to wait this long.”
Trump’s Pledge to Campaign and Spend
On Wednesday, Trump pledged to travel and support GOP candidates, including Paxton, ahead of the November midterms. “We’re going to go to Texas and work for Ken Paxton, who’s a great guy,” the president told reporters. He also addressed his recent criticism of Paxton’s appearance, adding, “You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews, but he was the best attorney general in the country … and that speaks a lot louder than the suit he’s wearing that doesn’t look so great.”
MAGA Inc. reported having more than $400 million in cash on hand as of July 31, according to its most recent fundraising disclosure. The group has already begun airing national television ads highlighting Trump’s agenda.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said he plans to allocate up to $500 million from the super PAC to boost Republican candidates in the midterms. “I think I have, like, close to a billion dollars in the super PAC, and I’m allocating probably $400 or $500 million. So I’ll be spending, we’ll be spending,” he said. “I’m going to be making contributions to various campaigns of people that I think are good, Republicans that I think are good. People that I think are going to win and can win or are close to winning … I’m going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us.”