Super PACs Pledged Millions for Paxton Senate Bid
The Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA, Inc. committed over $60 million in television ads to support Ken Paxton.
Updated on Sept. 20, 2026 in Advertising
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Major super PACs have pledged a combined $61 million in television advertising to support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The move follows recent polling that shows Paxton trailing his opponent, James Talarico, by 2.9 percentage points.
Why it matters
Republican strategists consider the Texas Senate race highly competitive and aim to boost Ken Paxton to prevent a loss. The influx of funding is intended to counteract his current polling deficit and recent media momentum for James Talarico.
The Senate Leadership Fund pledged $51 million and MAGA, Inc. committed $10 million in television advertising. These pledges follow the Lone Star Liberty super PAC spending nearly $17.5 million between August 30 and September 9.
The players
Ken Paxton
He currently serves as the Texas Attorney General and is a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
James Talarico
He is the candidate challenging Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race.
Senate Leadership Fund
This is a super PAC that raises money to support Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate.
MAGA, Inc.
This is a prominent super PAC that supports candidates aligned with Donald Trump.
Lone Star Liberty
This is a super PAC that has directed significant advertising spending into the Texas Senate contest.
The details
Super PACs are running television advertisements targeting James Talarico over his past statements concerning gender and God. Meanwhile, James Talarico gained visibility after a recent interview on the YouTube version of Jimmy Kimmel Live, which has reached 12 million views.
Timeline
Polling for the RealClearPolitics average occurred from August 24 to September 14.
Lone Star Liberty spent $17.5 million on ads between August 30 and September 9.
The Jimmy Kimmel Live interview reached 12 million views by September 18.
The voter registration deadline is October 5.
Early voting is scheduled to begin on October 19.
Market Landscape
The massive influx of independent spending mirrors the 2024 Texas U.S. Senate race expenditures, highlighting an ongoing reliance on super PACs to shape electoral outcomes. This strategy positions these groups as the primary financial engines in a race where maintaining competitive ad saturation is essential for institutional party success.
Texas voters can expect a significant increase in the volume of political advertisements on television and digital platforms as these pledged funds are deployed. These ads will likely intensify the public debate regarding candidate positions on social issues in the lead-up to the October 19 early voting start date.
The takeaway
Voters should be aware that the high volume of television ads is funded by independent super PACs rather than the candidates themselves. This trend emphasizes the importance of evaluating political messaging independently as the election approaches.
What happens next
Early voting for the election is scheduled to begin on October 19.
Further reading
For more background on how campaign funds are shaping the current political cycle, visit Advertising.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBS News.
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