AUSTIN – No one is flooding the airwaves like Sen. John Cornyn and his allies.
The Republican tops the Texas Senate primary field in ad spending by a wide margin, with Dallas-Fort Worth soaking up the biggest share of campaign dollars ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
Why so much? Cornyn is locked in the biggest fight of his political career against Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt for the GOP nomination.
The Cornyn campaign has spent $14.9 million on TV and other advertisements since Jan. 1, 2025. Outside groups have piled on, with super PACs pouring in more than $53 million to support his reelection.
Political Points
All told, the political spending, including third-party attack spots, has topped $121 million, making it the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history.
Candidate and outside groups have dropped nearly $9 million in TV, digital and mail messaging from Monday to Thursday alone.
As with Cornyn, the majority of ad spending for Paxton and Hunt has come from super PACs, independent political groups that can raise unlimited funds. They account for about 60% of Hunt’s ads and 55% of Paxton’s.
In campaign ads and messages, Cornyn stresses experience and a record of results, Paxton vows MAGA loyalty, and Hunt sells generational change.
The high stakes also have intensified the Democratic money race.
State Rep. James Talarico of Austin and allied groups have bankrolled the bulk of Democratic ad buys, outpacing U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, who has received less outside financial backing so far.
Talarico has spent more than $14 million, and outside groups have put $7 million into ad buys promoting his campaign. That’s nearly five times what’s been spent – about $4.5 million – on ads supporting Crockett. A super PAC that only recently began advertising has put about $350,000 behind her bid.
The gap between Talarico’s and Crockett’s ad spending tracks closely with their fundraising totals.
Federal reports show Talarico’s campaign raked in more than $20 million in contributions as of Feb. 11, and Crockett’s raised about $8.6 million.
For the Democrats, Crockett casts herself as a counterweight to President Donald Trump while Talarico urges unity across party lines.
Targeting the Texas Triangle
In a statewide race this large, geography is strategy.
Where campaigns spend their money signals how they aim to maximize their reach in voter-rich markets.
Texas’ size, spread-out population centers and sheer number of voters make it one of the most expensive states in the country for a statewide campaign.
In the primary, the candidates have concentrated their ad buys in Texas’ largest population centers, with Dallas-Fort Worth leading the state’s 20 media markets.
Houston ranks a close second, with Talarico supporters devoting more resources there than in North Texas.
The totals drop off sharply outside the “Texas Triangle,” the emerging mega-region that includes Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
The spending scorecard as of Thursday:
Dallas-Fort Worth: $32.1 millionHouston: $31.2 millionSan Antonio: $10.6 millionAustin – $7.5 millionTyler-Longview-Nacogdoches-Lufkin – $4 million
The Dallas media market is the fourth-largest in the nation, behind only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Houston ranks seventh.