A political group associated with United States President Donald Trump has announced it will spend $10m on television and digital advertisements in the state of Texas ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) represents the first major spend in a general election by MAGA, Inc, a super PAC named for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. The advertisements are expected to heavily target Democratic candidate James Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative running for the US Senate against Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Speculation abounds that Democrats may have a chance of flipping one of Texas’s Senate seats for the first time since 1993. Paxton has weathered a series of scandals, even facing a state impeachment trial. Still, Democrats have repeatedly faced withering defeats in Texas, having failed to win a statewide office there in more than three decades.
In a statement on Saturday, MAGA, Inc sought to portray Talarico as out of touch with everyday Texans. Republicans currently hold slim majorities in both chambers of Congress. But Democrats are hoping to flip a few key seats to break the Republicans’ hold on the legislature.
Whoever wins control of Congress will likely be able to shape the legislative agenda of Trump’s final two years as president. The advertisements announced on Saturday will focus on tax policy, accusing Democrats of seeking tax hikes that would burden voters. Democrats, meanwhile, have traditionally accused Republicans of awarding tax breaks to the most affluent.
That criticism re-emerged last year, when the Republican-led Congress passed Trump’s signature piece of legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, along party lines. In addition to increasing spending on Trump priorities like defence and immigration, the bill also made permanent the tax breaks Trump had debuted during his first term and increased exemptions for federal estate taxes. Critics pointed out that those tax cuts would largely benefit wealthier earners.
In response to criticism of his economic policy, Talarico’s campaign accused the candidate’s right-wing opponents of pouring outside money into the race and misrepresenting his record. Last year, Trump officials petitioned Texas lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map in a way that gives Republicans an advantage in winning five extra seats in the House of Representatives. After Texas followed through, other Republican-led states followed suit, with Democrats mounting similar efforts in states like California.
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