Spending in the Texas Senate race has passed $560 million, the most expensive U.S. Senate contest on record, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign ads. Most of that total is political advertising, the group said. It puts Texas ahead of Ohio's 2024 Senate race.
The race drew heavy spending in the Republican primary. Sen. John Cornyn and super PACs backing him spent tens of millions in the March primary against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn lost the May runoff to Paxton by 27 points. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, of Austin, won his party's nomination and raised money from more than 1.3 million people, according to the story.
Elon Musk has put at least $168 million into the campaign, according to federal campaign finance reports and AdImpact figures. Much of that money has gone to a super PAC that is legally barred from coordinating with Paxton's campaign. A Plano-based Republican consultant, Vinny Minchillo, said the level of spending is part of life in a competitive general election.