Spending on campaign ads in the Texas race for the U.S. Senate has surpassed $500 million, according to data from the firm AdImpact. The contest between Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico could thus become the most expensive campaign in U.S. history, if presidential campaigns are not counted. The midterm elections are less than three days away, on Nov. 3. Their outcome, particularly in Texas, could affect the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
According to figures presented by AdImpact, more than $570 million has already been spent on the campaigns of the two candidates for U.S. senator from Texas. A significant share of the funds for Paxton’s campaign came from political committees linked to Elon Musk. Two of them spent more than $210 million to support the Republican candidate. The billionaire’s money paid for, among other things, campaign ads accusing Talarico of supporting so-called gender reassignment surgeries for children.
Ken Paxton has served as Texas attorney general since 2015. In his campaign, he advocates keeping taxes low, curbing illegal immigration and carrying out Donald Trump’s political agenda. His opponent, James Talarico, a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, has served in the state legislature since 2019. He opposes cuts to health care funding and supports congressional term limits, as well as higher taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans, paired with lower taxes for the middle class.
Texas is one of the key battlegrounds in the contest between Democrats and Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. No Republican (GOP) Senate candidate has lost an election in the state since 1988, nearly four decades. Meanwhile, the average of polling results points to a possible breakthrough: a Talarico victory.
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