BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — The political group associated with President Donald Trump is spending $10 million on television and digital advertisements in the Texas Senate race, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission.
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 helped 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 many 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 ads seek to highlight taxes as a dominant issue at a time when many voters have expressed concerns about continued inflation. Talarico has favored higher taxes on wealthier households and the two ads seek to portray him as seeking tax hikes more broadly while claiming that Paxton would give tax breaks to first-time homebuyers and families with children.
The key piece of legislation signed into law by Trump last year enhanced and extended many of his expiring tax breaks from his 2017 overhaul. But that measure also increased budget deficits, which has contributed to higher interest rates on the national debt. Trump has also hiked tariffs, which are taxes on imports, to try to raise revenue.
“High Tax Talarico wants to take money out of Texans’ pockets. MAGA Inc. is going to ensure Texas knows about Talarico’s radical policies and elects Ken Paxton to the U.S. Senate," Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for MAGA, Inc., said in a statement Saturday.
Talarico campaign spokesperson JT Ennis pushed back against the ads' claims that the Democrat seeks broad tax hikes.
“Billionaire-backed dark money groups are lying about James Talarico because they’re scared of the people-powered movement we’re building to fix this broken, corrupt political system," Ennis said in a statement. "James was proud to vote for the largest property tax cut in Texas history and has consistently voted to cut taxes for working Texans.”
MAGA, Inc., has at least $400 million in campaign funds that GOP candidates have been waiting for the president to deploy.
“I’m going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
The president stressed that these were his funds to spend as he sees fit.
“This is my money,” Trump said, adding that it was “separate” from funds controlled by the Republican National Committee.
The president also said he could hold some of the funds until the 2028 elections “if that’s what I want.” Trump is constitutionally barred from running for a third presidential term.
Trump backed Paxton despite the Texas politician’s public scandals, but he has acknowledged this past week that Paxton is not the most telegenic candidate.
“It’s so insulting to him, but I might as well say it: You might not like the way he looks, you might not love his look, you might not love his television interviews, but he was the best attorney general in the country, perhaps,” Trump said Wednesday at a White House event on the midterm elections.
Republicans in battleground states have been clamoring for the president to open his wallet and spend some of the enormous war chest he has amassed.
James Blair, who runs the president’s midterm political operation, had tried to tamp down growing concern and impatience earlier this week.
“When it’s all said and done, all Republicans, at least, will be quite pleased and relieved at the support they find,” he said at an Ohio energy summit.
AP national political reporter Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
FILE - At left, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks in McKinney, Texas, May 19, 2026, and at right, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, after voting, in Austin, Texas, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero and Eric Gay,File)
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa imposed its forward power on New Zealand and won a pulsating third test 29-24 to snatch a 2-1 lead in their historic rugby series on Saturday.
The comeback from losing the first test ensured the Springboks cannot lose the series. They have a chance next Saturday in the fourth and final match in Baltimore to clinch their first series victory over the All Blacks since 1976.
The Springboks muscled up in the set-pieces to prevail. The scrum earned a penalty try to level at halftime 12-12 and when they led for the first time an hour in, they secured the win with a magnificent, crabbing lineout maul from which Malcolm Marx dived between the posts and thumped the ground in joy.
“I'm not sure what my heart rate was,” South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said while patting his chest. “We were certainly nervous. They were nervous. It's massive this. You're playing No. 1 and 2 in the world. We're not sitting here thinking we are awesome. We're thinking there was a lot of luck that went our way.”
For the first time in the series, they matched New Zealand for tries — four each — and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu replaced injured goalkicker Cheslin Kolbe to slot seven points.
Crucially, counterpart Ruben Love missed seven out of nine points off the tee. Also, New Zealand captain Ardie Savea was lost to injury after 30 minutes, costing the All Blacks their leading physical presence.
They can still rescue a series draw against the pre-tour odds next weekend but the inspirational Savea won't travel to Baltimore because of a suspected dislocated right shoulder, “gutted” New Zealand coach Dave Rennie said.
They rued careless errors that gave hope back to South Africa after they led 17-12.
A missed tackle by Leroy Carter allowed South Africa's Jesse Kriel to stroll in untouched. The host's two-point lead then became nine with 14 minutes to go. A kick over the deadball line led to the maul and Marx try that energized the Boks in front of their biggest crowd of the tour: 85,976.
“We just couldn't get our game going for long enough to hurt them,” Rennie said. “When we hit the lead (in the second half) we gave up a soft try. To be fair, they dominated the next 15 minutes.”
In a breathless end-to-end first half, wrecking ball hooker Asafo Aumua, danger winger Will Jordan and Savea spearheaded New Zealand's best start in the series.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was fortunate to concede only a yellow card and not a penalty try for a deliberate knockdown in the same New Zealand attack that forced off Kolbe with a broken jaw.
Moments later, Aumua set up Savea's 34th test try that made him the forward with the most in men’s internationals.
Prop Ox Nché and winger Ethan Hooker were carrying South Africa, which held out with 14 men and managed to score when Damian de Allende brushed off Carter and gave other winger Kurt-Lee Arendse an overlap try.
Savea’s second try featured a big sidestep by lock Tupou Vaa'i in his 50th test and Savea’s skip pass to Carter. Feinberg-Mngomezulu played the ball out of the ruck and Savea scooped it up on the run to score.
Five minutes later, Savea was leaving with a suspected shoulder injury. That brought in Wallace Sititi, whose sister Amarante also came off the bench and scored in the New Zealand women's 52-20 win over South Africa in the curtain-raiser.
New Zealand spent the last 10 minutes under siege and Love was yellow-carded. The South Africa scrum, already menacing, earned the penalty try for 12-12 when a pushover attempt was interfered with.
But with new props, New Zealand got a scrum penalty for what referee Nika Amashukeli said was South Africa walking around. It was the first time in the series the Springboks were called out for it. Scrums have been a flash point and South Africa has denied walking around. The 52-meter penalty kick was missed by Love.
Love also missed converting a try by Jordan, whose chip was collected by Carter, who popped up for the trailing Jordan to grab his 54th try.
At that point, South Africa replaced captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Nché and New Zealand got careless.
See AP’s full rugby coverage here
New Zealand's captain Ardie Savea, front, breaks away from South Africa's captain Siya Kolisi, to score a try during a third international test rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
New Zealand's Luke Jacobson, right, is tackled by South Africa's Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, left, and his teammate Pieter-Steph du Toit, during a third international test rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
