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Trump delivers $10 million to Ken Paxton in first major contribution of midterms
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- President Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has made its first major midterm donation, contributing $10 million to Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, split evenly between positive ads for Paxton and negative ads against Democrat James Talarico.
- The donation marks a significant move by MAGA Inc., which holds $400 million but had not made any major midterm contributions until now, with previous spending limited mostly to South Carolina Senate candidate Sen. Darline Graham.
- Paxton, the current Texas attorney general, faces a surprisingly close race against Talarico despite Texas not having elected a Democratic senator in over three decades; Paxton maintains strong Republican approval despite past controversies including an impeachment trial.
- Trump has been actively supporting Republican candidates, including Graham and Paxton, while also personally criticizing Talarico, whom he nicknamed "Tala-freako," a moniker Talarico has embraced for fundraising purposes.
- Some local candidates have expressed concern that MAGA Inc.’s early ad spending focuses more on promoting Trump himself rather than down-ballot candidates, despite Trump not being on the ballot this cycle.
