Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Republican Senate campaign has received a massive financial injection of nearly $54 million from the Senate Leadership Fund’s Texas-based affiliate.
The Austin-based Texas PAC donated more than $53.8 million to Paxton’s campaign, according to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
The committee is affiliated with the Senate Leadership Fund, which is tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.
Texas PAC also purchased more than $51 million worth of advertising reservations, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.
The ad buys will target the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin media markets, according to the Texas Tribune.
The spending surge comes after Paxton faced a stark financial disadvantage against his Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, for much of the summer.
As of the end of June, Talarico’s campaign held more than $21.5 million in cash on hand, compared to less than $1.8 million for Paxton, according to FEC data.
Earlier this month, President Trump’s MAGA Inc. Super PAC paid $10 million to Del Ray Media, which released two attack ads targeting Talarico.
Talarico, 37, is attempting to become the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas since former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
Talarico has campaigned on raising taxes on billionaires and corporations, while attacking Paxton over his estrangement from his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, accusations of infidelity, and the Texas House’s impeachment of him in 2023.
Paxton has countered by arguing that Talarico’s political views are fundamentally out of step with Texas voters.
The Hill reached out to spokespeople for both the Paxton and Talarico campaigns for comment on the Senate Leadership Fund’s significant spending in the race.
