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 million1Who 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 million1Who pays or receives it: Texas PAC
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.13Stated by 2 sources
One ad featured Angela Paxton urging voters to back the Republican ticket without mentioning her husband.13Stated by 2 sources
Another ad attacked Democratic nominee James Talarico with a transgender-themed message.13Stated 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
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.
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