Trump’s first major midterm money move: A $10M Texas Senate ad blitz

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) – The political group associated with President Donald Trump is spending $10 million on television and digital in the Texas Senate race, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission.

What happened

This is the first significant spending in a premier general election contest by MAGA, Inc., and reflects how a once-safe Republican seat in Texas may be viable for Democrats with the candidacy of James Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the Republican nominee in the race. Trump's endorsement supported Paxton to defeat the incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, in a May primary runoff election.

Public disapproval of Trump over the economy and the Iran war has been a headwind for plenty of Republican candidates. Voters generally go against the party in control of the White House in midterm elections and Democrats are hoping to gain control of the House and Senate – with Texas being a symbolically powerful indication of how the political map might be expanding this year.

The bottom line

In short, trump's first major midterm money move: A $10M Texas Senate ad blitz is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.