Senate Republicans Bring $32 Million To The Texas Race They Left Alone

DALLAS—A super PAC aligned with Senate Republican leadership has entered the Texas Senate race with about $32 million in planned broadcast advertising, confirming that the party’s confidence in nominee Ken Paxton can now be measured across four major media markets.

Texas PAC, a group connected to the Senate Leadership Fund, purchased advertising in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, according to AdImpact data reported by the Texas Tribune. The leadership group had supported Sen. John Cornyn during the primary and stayed out after Paxton defeated him in May.

The new reservations follow a $10 million Texas campaign from MAGA Inc., President Donald Trump’s allied super PAC, and more than $2.6 million in calls, texts and printed advertising from Elon Musk-funded America PAC. Republican groups have reserved or spent $60.8 million since the nominees were decided, including future bookings through September.

Democratic groups and nominee James Talarico’s campaign accounted for $43.7 million over the same period, nearly all from the candidate’s campaign. Candidate dollars purchase broadcast time at lower rates than super-PAC dollars. Paxton’s own campaign had not made a comparable major television purchase, permitting allies to pay retail for reinforcement.

National Republicans had reserved money months earlier in other competitive states. Texas joined that list after polling and fundraising made the race harder to leave unattended. The seat remains in the Republican column until voters decide otherwise; its television inventory is already bipartisan infrastructure.