FIRST ON FOX: Top Senate Republicans are unleashing millions of dollars into Texas to ensure that the GOP holds on to the seat as the midterm elections close in.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to launch the Texas PAC, unlocking a war chest of campaign funds to ensure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins out in November.
Paxton is in a tight race against Texas State Rep. James Talarico, who has become a prime target for Republicans who argue that the state lawmaker is too progressive for deep red Texas.
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“As the Democrat Party gets pulled further to the left, extreme candidates like James Talarico are becoming the norm,” Thune told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Republicans are united in keeping him out of the U.S. Senate, which is why I’m proud of the work the Senate Leadership Fund is doing to ensure Texas stays red.”
A source familiar told Fox News Digital that during the convention’s final day on Thursday, Thune attended a fundraiser for Paxton to help boost his campaign.
The new PAC will launch an initial eight-figure ad buy on Friday, the day after the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas is set to wrap up. The group tells Fox News Digital they plan to run ads continuously through Election Day in Texas, and the first two will paint Paxton in a positive light, with another showing the contrast between the candidates.
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While the convention has been used to energize President Donald Trump’s base to get out and vote in tight contests across the country, the Texas Senate race was of particular emphasis. And the flow of cash to support cash marks a pivot for the Senate Republican leadership, who earlier in the year, threw their full support behind Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
But Trump’s endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn ultimately ended the longtime lawmaker’s bid, and set up a messy period of making amends after the dust settled in their runoff race.
Now, Republicans are showing a unified front and working to help Paxton financially as he tries to stave off Talarico.
Most of the latest public opinion surveys in the Senate showdown indicate Talarico with a slight single-digit edge over Paxton. The most recent Fox News poll, which was conducted at the end of July, indicated Talarico with a 51%-48% margin over Paxton.
The race is one of roughly a dozen that will determine if the GOP holds its Senate majority in the midterms.
The launch of the Texas PAC comes a week after MAGA, Inc., the super PAC linked to President Donald Trump, made its first major midterm buy with $10 million in ad spending to support Paxton.
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The support from the Texas PAC and MAGA Inc. is a boost for Paxton, with Talarico’s campaign holding a massive campaign cash advantage over Paxton’s campaign heading into the final stretch leading up to November’s midterms. Talarico has hauled in over $72 million in fundraising since launching his Senate campaign last year, compared to roughly $17 million by Paxton, according to federal filings.
Paxton told Fox News’ Bret Baier he had a “three-month fundraising difference” compared to Talarico thanks to the messy primary battle that dragged into May, months after the insurgent progressive toppled Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.
“Talarico had three extra months to raise money and not spend it. So he was able to start spending on ads that tried to pivot him from a radical socialist to a moderate Democrat,” Paxton said.
“So he’s been running ads for about two months,” he continued. “My ads have just started. We had to raise some money. But once we’re able to highlight the stark differences between a socialist and a constitutional Republican, he will not win Texas.”