Talarico candidacy shifts once-safe GOP seat into play
MAGA Inc., the political organization associated with President Donald Trump, is spending $10 million on television and digital advertisements in the Texas Senate race, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission. The expenditure is the first significant ad buy by the political group in a premier general election contest.
The investment reflects how a Texas seat long considered a Republican stronghold has become viable for Democrats with the candidacy of state Rep. James Talarico, a 37-year-old.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the Republican nominee. Trump’s endorsement helped Paxton defeat the incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, in a May primary runoff election.
Public disapproval of Trump over the economy and the Iran war has been a headwind for many Republican candidates, and voters have historically moved against the party in control of the White House in midterm elections. Democrats are hoping to gain control of both the House and Senate, with a Texas victory serving as a symbolically powerful sign of how the political map might expand this year.