Trump super PAC launches $10M ad blitz in Texas Senate race

President Trump's political machine is making its opening move in Texas. On Saturday, MAGA, Inc—a super PAC bearing the name of Trump's signature campaign slogan—filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission announcing a $10 million television and digital advertising campaign in the state. It marks the first major general election spending by the group, and it arrives at a moment when Texas, long a Republican fortress, has become genuinely contested territory.

The money is aimed squarely at James Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. His opponent is Ken Paxton, Texas's attorney general, whom Trump endorsed and helped propel through the Republican primary in May—a victory that surprised many observers given that Paxton has endured a state impeachment trial and weathered a series of scandals. Yet Trump's backing proved decisive against the incumbent senator John Cornyn. Now, with the general election approaching in November, Trump's political apparatus is moving to protect that investment.

The timing reflects a broader political reality: Democrats sense an opening in Texas for the first time in more than three decades. The state has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1993. But Trump's deepening unpopularity, combined with voter anxiety over the cost of living, has created conditions that favor challengers like Talarico. Republicans hold only slim majorities in both chambers of Congress, and control of the legislature in the coming two years will determine what Trump can accomplish legislatively during his final term as president.

MAGA, Inc's advertisements will focus on tax policy, portraying Talarico as hostile to working Texans' wallets. "High Tax Talarico wants to take money out of Texans' pockets," said Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for the group. The framing echoes a familiar Republican argument, though it arrives against a backdrop of recent legislative history that complicates the message. Last year, the Republican-controlled Congress passed Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made permanent the tax cuts from his first term and increased exemptions for federal estate taxes. Critics noted that these provisions would disproportionately benefit wealthier earners—a fact Democrats have seized upon repeatedly.

Talarico's campaign responded by accusing Trump-aligned groups of flooding the race with outside money and distorting his record. Campaign spokesperson JT Ennis noted that Talarico had voted for what he called the largest property tax cut in Texas history and had consistently supported tax relief for working Texans. The campaign framed the outside spending as evidence of fear: "Billionaire-backed dark money groups are lying about James Talarico because they're scared of the people-powered movement we're building."

Texas has been central to Trump's midterm strategy in other ways as well. Last year, Trump officials successfully lobbied Texas lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional map in a way designed to secure Republican advantages in five additional House seats. Other Republican-led states followed suit, while Democrats pursued similar strategies in states like California. This week, Trump will travel to Dallas to headline the first-ever Republican midterm convention, speaking both nights of the gathering.

The $10 million Texas spend is part of a much larger commitment. Trump told reporters on Friday that he planned to allocate between $400 million and $500 million from MAGA, Inc to support Republican candidates across the country. Questions have circulated about whether such sums would actually reach down-ballot candidates or be concentrated elsewhere, but Trump's statement appeared designed to address those concerns. His personal involvement in the midterm campaign has been extensive—he has traveled the country holding rallies, endorsed candidates in primaries, and made himself a centerpiece of Republican strategy. At a rally in South Carolina last month, he told supporters: "What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot." The message was clear: this election is about him, and his party's performance will reflect on his presidency.