MAGA Inc. committed $10 million to back Republican Ken Paxton‘s campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas on a filing dated in the current campaign cycle, the expenditure directed at statewide advertising and digital outreach in a contest against Democratic state Representative James Talarico.
That development mattered because the race was a narrow contest that could affect control of the Senate and because the expenditure followed a high-profile endorsement from Donald Trump. Last update: September 11, 2026. The transfer expanded the role of large outside spending by a group operating under the MAGA umbrella at a moment when campaign finance totals and new media tactics are central to the campaign narrative.
MAGA Inc. funding and media plan
The $10 million commitment was structured to finance a broad advertising campaign including state television and targeted digital ads. The super PAC, operating under the MAGA brand as MAGA Inc. reported the expenditure in a Federal Election Commission filing, citing production and placement for both TV and online platforms.
The move narrowed the apparent financial gap despite earlier fundraising reports showing the Democratic candidate with a notable advantage: Talarico had raised about $72 million primarily from small donors, while Paxton’s campaign had reported roughly $16.8 million. MAGA Inc. itself was described in filings and remarks as holding roughly $400 million in available funds for political activity, and the group’s willingness to deploy resources nationally was underscored by separate spending of over $800,000 in a recent primary runoff in South Carolina for Senator Darline Graham.
Campaign clash: Talarico’s accusations and the AI attack ad
The financial escalation came as the campaign intensified on substantive and ethical fronts. James Talarico publicly accused Ken Paxton of refusing meetings with survivors connected to the Jeffrey Epstein case and of ignoring victims’ requests for assistance. Talarico spoke at an exhibit of Department of Justice files and asked: “When did pedophilia become a partisan issue? When did holding sexual abusers accountable become controversial?”
Paxton’s campaign responded with a controversial synthetic media attack ad titled “King James,” an AI-generated piece that depicted a fabricated speech attributed to Talarico. The ad stitched together fragments of past remarks, altered wording and scripted new passages to create a performance Talarico never delivered, heightening debate about the use of deepfakes in political advertising. Commentators outside the campaigns reacted publicly; one wrote that “AI ads like this should be illegal.”
Polling, prediction markets and national implications
Polling reflected a close contest: one survey showed Talarico ahead 48 to 43 percent among registered voters while another produced nearly even results with Paxton at 47 percent and Talarico at 46 percent. Prediction markets displayed mixed probabilities, with market percentages clustering near the mid-50s or near even odds depending on the platform and trading volume.
The race’s national implications were reinforced by public appeals from senior Republican lawmakers to concentrate resources. Senate Republican leadership figures, including John Thune urged coordinated efforts to defend or win the seat, and the primary upset in which Paxton defeated longtime Senator John Cornyn in a late May runoff remained a salient factor in GOP calculations.
Both campaigns continued active voter outreach: Paxton highlighted his endorsements and a platform framed around cutting costs for Texans, while Talarico emphasized his grassroots small-donor base and an ad highlighting a former Paxton aide who reported the attorney general to federal authorities. The Federal Election Commission filings and ongoing ad buys indicate the race will remain a high-priority, closely watched contest as election day approaches.
