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National Democrats Enter Texas Senate Race with Digital Ad Buy Targeting Ken Paxton
Overview
National Democrats have shifted their approach in the Texas Senate race, with a super PAC aligned with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer launching digital and streaming ads attacking Republican nominee Ken Paxton. While Democratic candidate James Talarico has consistently led in recent polling averages, he faces a massive spending disadvantage as Republican groups prepare to outspend him significantly. The initial investment is limited to digital and streaming platforms rather than a large-scale television buy, reflecting ongoing strategic calculations by national Democrats about whether heavy involvement could potentially backfire in the Republican-leaning state.
Key points
- A super PAC aligned with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has launched digital ads targeting Republican nominee Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race.
- The new ads focus on an attack against Ken Paxton over a past case involving Adam Hoffman.
- Polling averages show Democratic candidate James Talarico maintaining a consistent, narrow lead over Ken Paxton.
- Republican groups are projected to spend around $167 million on advertising in the race, heavily outspending Talarico and local Democratic efforts.
- The current national Democratic ad buy is restricted to YouTube, digital, and streaming platforms and is not yet a full-scale television investment.
- National Democrats have historically avoided spending heavily in Texas due to the high costs of media markets and a poor history of winning statewide races there.