Trump Invests 13.5 Billion Won in Texas Battleground as Key Ally Wavers in Republican Stronghold

Support for "Trump's Pick" Ken Paxton, Republican Candidate for State Senate

The Super PAC (political action committee for campaign fundraising) supporting U.S. President Donald Trump has invested funds in the Texas State Senate race, which has recently emerged as a key battleground.

On September 5 (local time), U.S. political news outlets Politico and the Associated Press reported that the Super PAC MAGA Inc. supported the campaign of Republican Ken Paxton, a candidate for the Texas State Senate, with a contribution of $10 million (approximately 13.5 billion won) that day. This marks the first time this year that the MAGA Super PAC has allocated such a substantial sum to a general election campaign in the midterms.

U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo by EPA

The previous day, President Trump announced that MAGA Super PAC had raised about $1 billion (about 1.35 trillion won), and that $400 million to $500 million (about 540 billion to 675 billion won) would be spent on the midterm elections.

Legally, a Super PAC must operate independently from the President and the White House. However, President Trump has not concealed his significant influence over MAGA. He emphasized that this Super PAC was originally established to support him, stating, "This money comes from MAGA. This is my money, which I control," and added, "I will spend a lot of money because I don't want to lose our country. I will spend whatever it takes if it is necessary to help us."

Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for Texas State Senate. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Texas was long considered a "Republican stronghold," but has recently become a key battleground. As Democratic candidate James Talarico, age 37, has been quickly gaining support, the Republican camp sparked controversy during the primary process, when Ken Paxton—President Trump’s choice—defeated John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent senator with strong party support, to secure the nomination. Paxton is a staunch pro-Trump figure who has repeatedly claimed that the result of the 2020 presidential election, in which President Trump lost to former President Joe Biden, is invalid.

Because of this, even when Paxton experienced a shortage of campaign funds, Republican leadership-affiliated Super PACs did not step forward with financial support. Existing Republican donors are also reported to have avoided contributing to Paxton, who is frequently embroiled in controversy. As a result, attention is focused on whether the latest support from the MAGA Super PAC will help consolidate the Republican base.

Alex Pfeiffer, spokesperson for MAGA, stated, "'High-tax' Talarico wants to reach his hand into Texans’ pockets," adding that, "MAGA will inform the public about Talarico’s radical policies and ensure Ken Paxton is elected to the State Senate."

Meanwhile, the Republican Party is facing razor-thin margins in Senate races across several battleground states, and is at risk of losing its majority status in the House for the first time since January 2023.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.