MAGA Inc, the super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump, has committed $10 million to a first major midterm ad push backing Republican Ken Paxton in his tightly contested Texas Senate race against Democrat state Representative James Talarico. The move signals Trump's continued backing of Paxton, whose primary victory over incumbent Senator John Cornyn earlier this year was aided by the president's endorsement, and marks an escalation of national money flowing into a race polls show as neck and neck.

The $10 million will fund digital and television adverts across Texas, with two spots attacking Talarico over tax policy and rural hospitals while promoting Paxton's proposals, including doubling the child tax credit and a $50,000 deduction for first-time homebuyers. Talarico's campaign has out-raised Paxton's, taking in $72 million mostly from small donors compared with $16.8 million for Paxton, according to the Texas Tribune, and dismissed the PAC spending as "billionaire-backed dark money". MAGA Inc, which Trump says holds around $400 million in funds, indicated it intends to keep spending against Talarico's "radical policies" ahead of November's vote.