President Donald Trump’s massive political war chest has officially been opened for the midterms, with MAGA Inc. spending $10 million to help Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeat Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the increasingly competitive United States Senate race.
The television and digital advertising purchase, disclosed in a Saturday Federal Election Commission filing, represents MAGA Inc.’s first significant expenditure in a major general election contest this cycle.
The investment comes after Paxton and his allies called for help from Trump’s super PAC as Talarico gained ground in the race.
Trump Turns His Attention to Texas
Trump endorsed Paxton over incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn during the GOP primary and has become vocal about the importance of keeping the Texas seat in Republican hands.
During a podcast interview last week, Trump warned that the consequences of Democrats gaining political control in Texas would extend far beyond the state.
“I will be the last Republican president and our country will live in hell!” Trump said.
Trump argued that Democratic success in Texas could eventually be followed by Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., becoming states, which he said would make it nearly impossible for Republicans to win future national elections.
The president has also escalated his attacks against Talarico, labeling the Democrat a “weirdo” and accusing him of concealing his actual political beliefs during the general election.
“They call him Talafreako — and he is, he’s sort of a freak,” Trump said Wednesday.
“His whole thing’s a lie,” Trump continued. “If you look at his statements from two years ago, it was crazy what he was saying.”
Trump argued that politicians who moderate their positions during campaigns eventually return to their original beliefs.
“And the one thing I learned about politicians — because I haven’t really been doing this that long, really, you know, guys have been doing it a lot longer than me — but whatever their initial statement, that’s where they belong, that’s where they go back to.”
Trump Has Joked About Paxton, Too
Trump’s support for Paxton has not stopped the president from publicly acknowledging weaknesses in the Republican candidate.
Trump recently joked about Paxton’s appearance and presentation, saying voters “might not love his look.”
But the president maintained that those concerns should not overshadow Paxton’s record as Texas attorney general.
By Friday, Trump was publicly promising significant financial assistance for Republican candidates.
“I’m going to spend whatever amount of money [is] necessary” to help Republicans win, Trump told reporters.
MAGA Inc. Opens Its Wallet
Until now, Republican candidates and operatives had been waiting to see when Trump would begin deploying MAGA Inc.’s enormous reserves in competitive races.
The Texas investment provides at least a partial answer.
The $10 million purchase will fund television and online advertisements as the race enters its final two months.
And MAGA Inc. still has hundreds of millions of dollars available for Texas and other races around the country, giving Trump considerable financial influence over the closing stretch of the battle for control of Congress.
For Paxton, the first major check from Trump’s political operation has now arrived — and it is coming in one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the midterms.
