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AMERICANALMANAC (Ken Jacobs) - Trump’s $10 million boost to Ken Paxton signals a high-stakes fight for Texas Senate seat Sun Sep 6 17:25:29 2026

Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has unleashed $10 million for Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign, marking the largest Republican spending play of the midterms and drawing fire over the hardball tactics it funds. Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC delivered a striking $10 million donation to back Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s Senate bid, Federal […] The post Trump’s $10 million boost to Ken Paxton signals a high-stakes fight for Texas Senate seat appeared first on American Almanac .

Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has unleashed $10 million for Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign, marking the largest Republican spending play of the midterms and drawing fire over the hardball tactics it funds. Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC delivered a striking $10 million donation to back Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s Senate bid, Federal Election Commission records show. The funds, split evenly between positive advertising for Paxton and negative ads against Democrat James Talarico, were routed through Del Ray Media Inc. for a statewide television and digital blitz. This move marks the first major super PAC intervention of the 2026 midterm cycle by Trump’s political operation, and the largest such Republican outlay to date. The CBS News report notes that, before this, MAGA Inc. had spent only around $18,000 this year on a midterm contest, and a total of $1.7 million the prior year. Suddenly, the Paxton race has become a national proxy war. Alex Pfeiffer, spokesperson for MAGA Inc., made the group’s intentions clear: “High Tax Talarico wants to take money out of Texans' pockets. MAGA Inc. is going to ensure Texas knows about Talarico's radical policies and elects Ken Paxton to the U.S. Senate.” MAGA Inc.’s $10 million will bankroll a wave of television and digital advertising, with $5 million specifically earmarked for attacks on Talarico and $5 million to boost Paxton’s profile among voters. For Texas, this is another round in a decades-long fight to keep the state red. Texas has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 33 years, a fact that underscores the political stakes behind Trump’s investment, and signals that Democrats’ hopes of flipping the seat are again running into a Republican wall of cash and organization. Trump’s money machine pours fuel on a pivotal Texas race Trump has made no secret of his fundraising prowess or his willingness to use it to sway key races. “I've raised a lot, and nobody knows what it is, but I will tell you it's about $850 million,” Trump told reporters on August 21, before departing for a South Carolina rally. “I'll be spending a lot of that money for, and my own money, but I'll be spending a lot of that money for candidates that I think are good, Republican candidates.” Federal Election Commission filings show MAGA Inc. had about $400 million in its coffers, with $401 million raised by the end of the second quarter. The $10 million surge for Paxton is a signal that the former president is willing to deploy his resources when he sees a candidate aligned with his priorities, and when he wants to send a message to party insiders and rivals alike. It’s not just Texas feeling the effects. MAGA Inc. also recently sent $827,000 to Senator Darline Graham’s campaign in South Carolina, making a statement in another battleground where the Trump brand still dominates the Republican landscape. But the Paxton investment dwarfs previous outlays, suggesting that Trump views the Texas Senate contest as a defining test of his movement’s strength and reach. Paxton’s comeback and the Talarico challenge Ken Paxton is no stranger to controversy. The Texas attorney general survived a bruising 2023 impeachment trial over allegations of bribery and dereliction of duty. He heads into the Senate race with the support of Trump’s base, and, according to polling from the University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Politics Project, a 61% approval rating among Texas Republicans in August. James Talarico, the Democratic challenger, has leaned into the fight, responding to Trump’s taunt, the former president dubbed him “Tala-freako”, by selling T-shirts with the nickname. Trump, for his part, has made clear he sees the race as a chance to mobilize his own voters and keep Texas in Republican hands. At a South Carolina rally, he told supporters, “Pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot... Come and vote. It's so important.” Talarico’s policies have become the focus of MAGA Inc.’s messaging campaign, with Pfeiffer stating that the group aims to highlight what it calls “radical policies” and to drive home the message that Talarico “wants to take money out of Texans' pockets.” The specifics of those policies were not detailed in the FEC filings or campaign statements included in the report. National implications: Trump’s hand in the midterms Trump’s investment in Texas comes as part of a broader effort to shape the Republican field in 2026. While the super PAC’s prior spending this year was minimal, the sudden $10 million commitment marks a shift, and a warning to Democrats hoping to make inroads in deep-red states. By directing millions to both defend a loyalist like Paxton and attack his opponents, Trump is flexing his influence and making clear that his political apparatus is prepared for a bare-knuckle campaign season. Paxton’s personal and political life has not been without turbulence. After his 2023 impeachment trial, his wife, a state senator, filed for divorce, a development noted in the record. But if Trump’s support is any indication, the Republican establishment is betting that Paxton’s brand, battered or not, is still a winner in Texas. The stakes for Texas and the GOP With Texas Republicans holding the Senate seat for over three decades, the $10 million MAGA Inc. infusion is more than just a show of support for Ken Paxton, it’s a declaration that the state is not up for grabs. The Democratic dream of flipping Texas remains just that, as long as the Trump operation is willing to deploy its vast resources to defend its turf and keep the Lone Star State squarely in the conservative column. When Republican leadership backs up its words with hard cash, voters and opponents alike know the fight is real, and that political power is earned, not given. The post Trump’s $10 million boost to Ken Paxton signals a high-stakes fight for Texas Senate seat appeared first on American Almanac .