MAGA Inc. Unleashes $10 Million Ad Blitz in Texas Senate Race

MAGA Inc., the super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump, has dropped $10 million on the Texas Senate race in its first major outlay of the 2026 general election. The group disclosed the television and digital ad buy in a Federal Election Commission filing Saturday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation about when Trump's political machine would start deploying its massive bankroll for Republican candidates.

Half of the money will fund ads boosting GOP nominee Ken Paxton, the state attorney general who has been one of Trump's most loyal allies. The other half will bankroll messaging aimed at Democrat James Talarico, the state representative who has spent the summer on the airwaves attacking Paxton and introducing himself to voters.

The move answers growing calls from Senate Republicans, who had pressed the president to bring his financial firepower to a race rated a toss-up in a state Democrats have not won statewide in more than three decades.

A $400 Million Answer to Republican Pleas

Republicans have spent weeks publicly urging Trump to engage in Texas, where statewide advertising runs about $8 million a week and where Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned the seat is not one the GOP can afford to lose.

"We flat have to win there," Thune said on Fox News this week, arguing that every available resource needs to be brought to bear on the Lone Star State.

MAGA Inc. entered the stretch run with more than $400 million in the bank. Trump told reporters Friday that he controls close to $1 billion across his political operation and expects to allocate $400 million to $500 million to Republican campaigns before November, saying he will spend whatever it takes to help candidates he believes in.

The Texas reservation is the first general-election ad buy from the group's coffers. Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Thune, has so far skipped the state, and Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said last weekend he hopes Trump will pour $100 million to $200 million into Texas.

A Toss-Up in a State That Has Not Gone Blue in 30 Years

Paxton, who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, won the GOP nomination in a runoff against Sen. John Cornyn after Trump endorsed him over the sitting senator. The general election was supposed to be a comfortable Republican hold. It has become anything but.

Talarico has vastly outraised and outspent Paxton through the summer, pulling in more than $30 million in the second quarter alone against Paxton's $9 million. His campaign has poured roughly $40 million into general-election advertising, while Paxton's own campaign had logged only about $264,000 in ad reservations as of this week. Polls have shown Talarico with a narrow lead on average, and analysts now rate the contest a toss-up.

Billionaire Elon Musk's America PAC has also entered the fray, spending about $1.4 million against Talarico in recent weeks. The outside money reflects a broader reality: Democrats had spent $41.7 million on the race against $24.3 million from Republicans before MAGA Inc.'s buy landed.

The Ad Fight Is Already About Taxes

MAGA Inc. rolled out two 30-second spots focused on taxes, casting Paxton as the low-tax choice and Talarico as a tax raiser. The ads highlight Paxton's plan to deliver tax breaks for healthcare and housing expenses, and they hit Talarico over property taxes, including his vote against a 2019 law that lets voters weigh in before local governments raise property tax revenue by more than 3.5 percent.

"Talarico? Higher taxes. Paxton? Lower taxes. A clear choice," one spot says.

"High Tax Talarico wants to take money out of Texans' pockets," MAGA Inc. spokesman Alex Pfeiffer posted. "MAGA Inc. is going to ensure Texas knows about Talarico's radical policies and elects Ken Paxton to the U.S. Senate."

Talarico's campaign fired back, accusing the group of lying about his record. Spokesman JT Ennis said Talarico voted for the largest property tax cut in Texas history and has consistently backed cuts for working families. Talarico's own economic plan calls for raising taxes on corporations and billionaires while expanding credits for parents and lower-income workers.

What Happens Next

The ad buy lands as Trump has promised to hit the trail for Paxton, telling reporters he plans to travel to Texas and work for "a great guy" who was "the best attorney general in the country." Trump has even joked about the criticism of Paxton's wardrobe, insisting results matter more than the suit he wears.

Paxton thanked the president for the support, posting that "together we will win for Texas and America."

With early voting about six weeks away, advertising on the race could approach record levels, with estimates floating as high as $200 million in total outlays. Texas has 20 media markets, making statewide airtime a pricey proposition. Watch for whether MAGA Inc. follows this first reservation with more cash, and whether Trump's promised campaign swing through Texas materializes as the calendar tightens.