Republican advertising spending in the Texas Senate race has surged, with a major party-backed group booking more than $51 million in adverts to support Ken Paxton, the party’s nominee.
The investment by Texas PAC, which is affiliated with the Senate Leadership Fund, comes as Mr Paxton faces a close contest against the well-funded Democratic candidate James Talarico.
Republican groups had largely stayed out of the race for months, but more than $23 million had already been booked by six other conservative organisations for adverts running from 1 September until election day. The latest commitment gives Mr Paxton and his allies a roughly five-to-one spending advantage over Mr Talarico and Democratic groups during that period, according to media-tracking firm AdImpact.
The combined advertising total is approximately $75 million. It does not include all of a $10 million Texas advertising purchase revealed by President Donald Trump’s super PAC last week, or more than $2 million being spent on voter-contact efforts by Elon Musk’s super PAC.
Republican groups rally behind Ken Paxton
The late influx marks a significant shift in the Republican campaign. After Mr Paxton defeated Senator John Cornyn in the primary with Mr Trump’s backing, he spent months at a financial disadvantage while party organisations hesitated to commit funds to what was expected to be an expensive general election campaign.
The Senate Leadership Fund did not include Texas in the spending plans it set out in April. Pressure from Republicans to intervene continued for months before the party’s financial establishment moved to support Mr Paxton.
Alex Latcham, head of the Senate Leadership Fund, said on Friday that the purchase “affirms our commitment to maintaining the Republican majority”.
Mr Cornyn’s defeat had left some Republicans concerned that Mr Paxton would be a weaker general election candidate. Allies of Mr Cornyn, who has close ties to donors and previously held a leadership role in the Senate, were also reported to be unhappy with the result, making it more difficult for Mr Paxton to secure broad support.
Advertising commitments can change as election day approaches, with campaigns and outside groups regularly revising their plans.
James Talarico built early financial advantage
Mr Talarico, a state representative, has been one of the Democratic Party’s strongest fund-raisers during the election cycle. Through the middle of the year, he raised more than $54 million in 2026, compared with nearly $4 million for Mr Paxton.
From June to August, Mr Talarico and his allies outspent Mr Paxton and Republican groups by seven to one, according to AdImpact. Neither candidate had received substantial outside support during that period.
The Republican spending spree is likely to increase pressure on the Senate Majority PAC, the main super PAC supporting Senate Democrats, to intervene in Texas. Lauren French, a spokeswoman for the organisation, said on Friday: “We’ll continue to watch the race closely, but if you ever needed a sign Paxton was in trouble, this is it.”
