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Elections Updated October 7, 3:00 am

Republican PACs air Ken Paxton ads nationally during NFL games

Republican political action committees Texas PAC and Senate Leadership Fund purchased advertising time during Fox's nationally broadcast NFL games on Sunday, October 5, 2026. The ads, which ran during the Cowboys-Texans, Eagles-Rams, Packers-Buccaneers, and Jets-Bears games, reached millions of viewers nationwide, including those outside Texas. The ads featured state Senator Angela Paxton urging support for the Republican ticket and attacked Democratic nominee James Talarico.

Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 5, 2026
Sources
Reported by 4 outlets

Taxes and money

The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.

  • Cost for one 30-second ad spot$2 million1 Who pays or receives it: Texas PAC
  • Cost for one 30-second ad spot in El Paso$200,0001
  • Total funding poured into Ken Paxton campaignwell over $100 million1 Who pays or receives it: Texas PAC

Does this affect you?

Who's involved

  • Texas PACSuper PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune; purchased and ran ads
  • Senate Leadership FundPolitical action committee tied to Senate Republicans; purchased and ran ads
  • Ken PaxtonRepublican candidate for U.S. Senate from Texas; subject of ads
  • Angela PaxtonTexas state senator and Ken Paxton's estranged wife; featured in ad
  • James TalaricoDemocratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Texas; attacked in ads

The facts

  • Texas PAC ran ads during Fox's broadcast of Cowboys-Texans, Eagles-Rams, Packers-Buccaneers, and Jets-Bears games.1 3 Stated by 2 sources
  • One ad featured Angela Paxton urging voters to back the Republican ticket without mentioning her husband.1 3 Stated by 2 sources
  • Another ad attacked Democratic nominee James Talarico with a transgender-themed message.1 3 Stated by 2 sources
  • Texas PAC is a super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune.1
  • The Cowboys-Texans game aired in every Texas market on Fox.1

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

  • Inside Elections' Jacob Rubashkin Paxton ads ran during every one of the four games.1
  • Chuck Todd Ads appeared during Packers-Buccaneers game; individual games cannot be bought cheaply so PAC purchased Fox's entire 1 p.m. national package.1
  • Political observers National buy made economic sense because individual market buys in Texas cost substantially more.3

Where the sources disagree

  • Whether ads ran during only two games or four games Four games (Cowboys-Texans, Eagles-Rams, Packers-Buccaneers, Jets-Bears) per [3]; Eagles-Rams and Cowboys-Texans explicitly mentioned with Packers-Buccaneers and Jets-Bears also mentioned per [1]

How they headlined it

The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.

  • Why Ken Paxton ads aired during NFL games across the country on Sunday

    Awful Announcing

  • Watch Republican Cash Pours In to Prop Up Ken Paxton in Texas

    Bloomberg.com

  • Republican Cash Pours In to Prop Up Ken Paxton in Texas

    Bloomberg.com

  • Why Ken Paxton, and his wife, were all over your TV on NFL Sunday

    Yahoo

  • Donations for Ken Paxton pour in from out of state

    CNN, Modern Ghana, WKYC

Sources

Outlets: 3 left-leaning, 1 center, 1 not rated Who's covering Texas →

These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.

  1. Why Ken Paxton ads aired during NFL games across the country on Sunday Awful Announcing Not rated, October 5, 2026
  2. Watch Republican Cash Pours In to Prop Up Ken Paxton in Texas Bloomberg.com Center, October 6, 2026
  3. Why Ken Paxton, and his wife, were all over your TV on NFL Sunday Yahoo Lean Left, October 6, 2026
  4. Donations for Ken Paxton pour in from out of state | CNN Politics CNN Lean Left, October 6, 2026
  5. Donations for Ken Paxton pour in from out of state CNN Lean Left, October 6, 2026

Also reported by Modern Ghana, WKYC.

This sheet was written by AI from the sources above and adds nothing they don't state. Read the originals for full context.

Spot an error on this sheet?

All corrections and updates

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Reported by 2 outletsFound via Google News

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Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Clerk; Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew, Bexar County Elections Administrator; Dallas County Elections Administrator Paul Adams, Dallas County Elections Administrator and 2 more

Reported by 2 outletsFound via Google News

Democratic and Republican Senate candidates report third-quarter campaign fundraising totals

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$60 million for campaign funds raised, third quarter 2026

James Talarico, Democrat candidate for Texas Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for Texas Senate; Elon Musk, Tech billionaire and super PAC backer of Republican candidates

Reported by 5 outletsFound via Google News

Elon Musk donates $158 million to support Ken Paxton Senate campaign

Elon Musk donated $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in September 2026, which transferred the money to Texas PAC to finance advertising supporting Republican Ken Paxton in his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.

$158 million for donation to Senate Leadership Fund

Elon Musk, Donor; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate and 3 more

Reported by 5 outletsFound via Google News

Talarico's former classmate accuses him of prioritizing politics over truth

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James Talarico, Democratic Texas Senate candidate; Mike Garcia, former college classmate making accusation; Will Cain, Fox News host

Reported by 2 outletsOnly right-leaning outlets reported thisFound via Google News

Senate candidate Talarico schedules El Paso campaign rally October 26

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico announced a campaign rally in El Paso on October 26 from 6 to 8 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m. The event is part of his "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts" statewide tour ahead of the November 3 election.

James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Texas Attorney General

Reported by 4 outletsFound via Google News

"No Kings" organizers hold vote early event in Dallas Saturday

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Reported by 4 outletsFound via Google News

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