Republican donors flood Texas Senate race as Paxton trails Talarico

As the November election approaches, Republican financiers are heavily backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign for the U.S. Senate, allocating almost $42 million in advertising through the Senate Leadership Fund’s Texas PAC. The seat, historically Republican, has become competitive, with polls indicating Paxton falling behind Democrat state Rep. James Talarico. Initial GOP support was muted because of Paxton’s impeachment and personal controversies, prompting many to label him “scandal-plagued.”

Recent contributions from Trump’s super PAC and Elon Musk’s America PAC have shifted the dynamic, though Paxton’s own fundraising still lags behind Talarico’s. Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged a full-scale effort to keep the seat Republican, emphasizing its importance to the party’s Senate majority. The influx of money reflects a broader Republican push to prevent a Democratic pickup in a race not won by a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1948 victory.