Top Senate Republicans are pouring millions of dollars into Texas to defend Attorney General Ken Paxton's bid for the US Senate, as the party rallies behind him against Democratic state representative James Talarico in one of the midterms' most closely watched races. The move marks a significant show of unity from Senate leadership, who had previously backed Senator John Cornyn before Donald Trump's endorsement of Paxton ended Cornyn's campaign, and comes as recent polling shows Talarico holding a slight edge.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Majority Leader John Thune, is launching a new Texas PAC with an initial eight-figure advertising buy beginning on the Friday after the Republican National Committee's Dallas convention, with adverts running continuously until Election Day. The effort follows a $10 million ad spend a week earlier by MAGA Inc, Trump's super PAC, and comes as Talarico holds a substantial fundraising advantage, having raised over $72 million compared with Paxton's roughly $17 million. A Fox News poll from late July put Talarico ahead 51% to 48%, in a contest seen as one of around a dozen races that will decide control of the Senate.