Politics
Pro-Paxton Group Announces $15 Million Ad Campaign
Lone Star Liberty PAC, a super PAC supporting Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, announced a $15 million advertising campaign that will be launching on September 1. The group released two new advertisements that will air across 18 markets in Texas over the following two weeks, according to a spokesperson for the PAC who spoke with The Hill.
The spending represents one of the first major advertising efforts on Paxton’s behalf this fall. Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is the Republican nominee after defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the GOP primary runoff earlier this year. Cornyn finished first in the initial primary round, but Paxton prevailed in the runoff following an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
One advertisement focuses on Paxton’s record as attorney general. It highlights a $1.4 billion settlement his office reached with Google over privacy concerns and a deal Kellogg’s signed with the office last year to remove artificial dyes from its cereals.
“Ken Paxton. When they come after Texans, he comes after them,” a narrator can be heard saying.
The second advertisement criticizes Democrat nominee James Talarico, a Texas state representative, over his vote against legislation last year that established criminal penalties for foreign entities purchasing state land. The measure passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.
That ad, titled “Chinese Toy,” includes a portrait of Talarico in attire similar to that of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. “China’s got Talarico, Texas needs Ken Paxton,” a voiceover reads in part.
POLL: Would You Vote Against ANY Candidate Who Calls Themselves A Socialist?
Politico: Ken Paxton allies launch ad highlighting his record as Texas Attorney General https://t.co/fAS3qO1mMa pic.twitter.com/ynk2CzsImY
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) August 31, 2026
Sam Cooper, a spokesperson for Lone Star Liberty PAC, said in a statement to The Hill that Talarico is a “radical masquerading as a moderate” whose record is “too extreme” for Texas. “Between now and Election Day, voters are going to hear it, and when they do, they will reject James Talarico,” Cooper added.
Lone Star Liberty’s ad campaign is notable, as Talarico has far out-raised Paxton as of this point in the raise. Talarico raised $68.5 million since launching his Senate bid last September, placing him behind only incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) according to Federal Election Commission data. As of the end of June, Talarico’s campaign had more than $21.5 million on hand compared to less than $1.8 million for Paxton’s campaign.
Talarico has also enjoyed a summer polling surge, with top-rated many election forecasters, including Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ, grading the race as a toss-up. While speaking with Fox News, Paxton emphasized that the race will be close but expressed confidence in a victory due to internal polling.
“We have our own polling that suggests maybe a little different result, but we definitely have a close race,” Paxton said. He added that Republicans are “in the middle of midterm elections where the party in power often has a much bigger challenge.”
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