Story perspectives

Texas PAC Spends $131 Million to Back Paxton

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 6:06 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Trump insults Paxton

A Texas PAC spent $131 million in independent expenditures over 17 days to back Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and oppose Democrat James Talarico.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Ken Paxton a “pain in the ass” at a Peterbilt plant in Denton, Texas.
The PAC, tied to the Senate Leadership Fund, saw polls show Talarico ahead 48%-45%.
Ads totaled $4.6 M for Talarico and $4.2 M for Paxton, with ads funded by a super-PAC.

Left

Convention Fallout Hurts Paxton

A Texas political action committee spent $131 million on independent expenditures over 17 days to support Senate candidate Ken Paxton and oppose Democrat James Talarico.
The fallout from a convention is portrayed as hurting Paxton’s race while energizing Democratic, especially Latino, voters.
Leaked audio captured Paxton saying the convention “dropped our numbers” and the race “not good.”
President Donald Trump praised summit, claiming it helped Paxton, while polls gave Talarico a lead.

Blindspot

A leaked audio recording captured Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton telling donors that a recent political convention “dropped our numbers” and that the race was “not good.”
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC struck down limits on corporate and union election ads, paving the way for super-PACs that have since attracted $4.5 billion in independent spending (up from $750 million in the prior two decades). That framework fuels today’s Texas Senate race, where Republican Ken Paxton and Donald Trump rely on super-PAC money to challenge Democrat James Talarico.

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Trump insults Paxton

A Texas PAC spent $131 million in independent expenditures over 17 days to back Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and oppose Democrat James Talarico.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Ken Paxton a “pain in the ass” at a Peterbilt plant in Denton, Texas.
The PAC, tied to the Senate Leadership Fund, saw polls show Talarico ahead 48%-45%.
Ads totaled $4.6 M for Talarico and $4.2 M for Paxton, with ads funded by a super-PAC.

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