Is The GOP Fundraising Apparatus Messing With Texas?

The GOP’s campaign and fundraising apparatus is facing increasing backlash for a perceived lack of action as the Texas Senate looks to be an increasingly close contest between the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, and the Democrat candidate, James Talarico.

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Questions have mounted over who will make the first move to support Paxton, with attention turning to President Donald Trump’s independent-expenditure political committee MAGA Inc., the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF).

Paxton, who serves as the Texas Attorney General, emerged from a bruising GOP primary against incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a contest that broke records and became the most expensive Senate primary in history, with more than $125 million spent on advertising, according to media-tracking firm AdImpact. (RELATED: Ken Paxton Ousts John Cornyn In Runoff Landslide After Securing Trump’s Endorsement)

At least $92 million was spent to help Cornyn fend off Paxton, as Republican leaders and major donors flooded the race with cash and the two campaigns unleashed millions of dollars in attack ads, according to a New York Times report.

Then, in the final stretch of the runoff, Trump threw his weight behind Paxton, helping alter the trajectory of the primary and ultimately paving the way for Paxton’s nomination.

Since the runoff, Paxton has primarily relied on his campaign committee, Ken Paxton for Senate.

Lone Star Liberty PAC, a super PAC supporting Paxton, announced on Monday a $15 million opposition ad campaign against Talarico, according to a Politico report.

The pro-Paxton super PAC had already spent roughly $10.26 million through June 30, including about $7.65 million in independent expenditures, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data.

But concerns have grown as recent polling shows Democratic state Sen. James Talarico running competitively against Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton in a potential general election matchup.

An Overton Insights poll conducted Aug. 24-26 found Talarico leading Paxton 44 percent to 43 percent among voters before leaners were included, with the race tied 50-50 once leaners were factored in.

A Texas Public Opinion Research poll released Aug. 27 showed Talarico ahead 48 percent to 42 percent, while an Emerson College poll conducted Aug. 9-10 showed Paxton narrowly leading 47 percent to 46 percent.

The polling comes as the two candidates enter the general election with a stark fundraising disparity. Talarico raised $30 million in the second quarter of 2026, compared to $9.2 million for Paxton — though Paxton’s haul still surpassed former Sen. John Cornyn’s previous quarterly fundraising record.

The fundraising disparity has raised questions within Republican circles about when the broader GOP apparatus will begin putting significant resources behind Paxton.

Some Republicans have voiced concern — and, in some cases, frustration — over whether the divisive primary created a rift between the NRSC and Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), and whether that could help explain the groups’ apparent caution in engaging in the general election effort.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz appeared to echo some of those concerns during an appearance on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, pushing back against Republicans who continue to criticize Paxton following the primary.

“Some of the Republicans throwing rocks at Ken Paxton, my message to them is enough, stop your b*tching, we had a $200 million primary, and Ken won,” Cruz said.

Cruz argued that the massive amount of money spent attacking Paxton during the primary could have lingering effects on his standing heading into the general election.

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“The reason the numbers are close is $200 million in attack ads were run against him, and that does damage.”

The comments come as questions continue to swirl around when the broader Republican fundraising apparatus will begin making significant investments in the race.

Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee told the Daily Caller, “We are in a fight for the future of our country, and every Republican needs to support Ken Paxton to beat the weird socialist who supports gender transitions for children and open borders. We cannot afford to lose a single Senate seat to such insanity, much less in Texas.”

When asked whether the NRSC anticipates working in tandem with the Paxton campaign, NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez wrote to the Caller, “The fall of coordinated spending limits means the NRSC can discuss spending decisions directly with our candidates and their campaigns. The era of raising the curtain on strategy for press and the Democrats we’re looking to defeat is over.”

What Rodriguez is referring to is the prior practice of campaign committees openly sharing certain spending intentions or campaign advertising blitzes with the media — and effectively with the candidates they’re supporting — as a workaround for limits on political coordination.

The Caller has learned that MAGA Inc. and SLF are in communication as the Texas Senate race heats up.

Under federal campaign finance law, SLF and MAGA Inc. can communicate with NRSC officials, but they generally cannot coordinate independent expenditures or strategy with the party committee.

In practice, that means the groups can maintain contact with the NRSC but cannot privately collaborate on ad plans, messaging, targeting, or spending decisions in a way that would turn their independent expenditures into coordinated spending.

The legal landscape was complicated by a June Supreme Court on NRSC v. FEC that struck down statutory limits on certain coordinated expenditures by political parties, finding the restrictions violated the First Amendment. (RELATED: Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Funding Limits On Political Parties Coordinating With Candidates)

The ruling gives party committees such as the NRSC greater latitude to coordinate with candidates, but it does not eliminate the rules governing coordination between the NRSC and outside groups such as SLF and MAGA Inc. The FEC is still working to update its guidance following the decision.

Against that backdrop, MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, appears to be moving closer to spending some of its reported $400 million war chest in Texas. The group recently fielded a message-testing poll targeting Talarico, according to Texas Bullpen co-founder and reporter Brad Johnson’s X post.

The poll, which was in the field last week, tested attacks portraying Talarico as “too loco for Texas” and “weirdly liberal,” among other messages. Respondents were also shown a 30-second video attacking Talarico over rural hospital funding and closures.

The polling offers an early indication that MAGA Inc. could be preparing to spend in the unexpectedly competitive race against Republican Ken Paxton. (RELATED: Dems Worry James Talarico Lacks Support From Black Voters To Win Texas Senate Race)

A Republican familiar with MAGA Inc.’s plans wrote to the Caller, “we’ll be meaningfully involved” in Texas.

The Caller reached out to Paxton’s campaign and SLF for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

The Caller also reached out to Cruz for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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