Republicans Unleash Texas Senate Cash for Paxton as Musk's PAC Adds $1.6 Million
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Sep 12
Republicans Unleash Texas Senate Cash for Paxton as Musk's PAC Adds $1.6 Million
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Sep 12
Summary
National Republicans have sharply escalated outside spending for Ken Paxton, rallying behind a nominee they once resisted as signs grow he could jeopardize a GOP Senate seat in Texas.
Trump used the RNC convention in Dallas to promise repeated return trips for Paxton, underscoring pressure from his network to shore up the scandal-plagued candidate and protect the party’s Senate majority.
Democrat James Talarico still holds a big candidate-side cash edge, with $21.5 million in the bank versus Paxton’s $1.8 million, but Republicans are countering with super PAC money including Elon Musk’s America PAC.
Texas’ vast, costly media markets now force Democrats into a strategic choice: spend heavily in a red-state race or conserve resources for cheaper battlegrounds such as Iowa and Alaska; their main Senate super PAC has not booked Texas ads.