President Donald Trump is hoping to give Republicans a boost in Texas as he attends a GOP fundraiser in Houston on Thursday night amid signs that several races, including the state's high-profile Senate contest, are becoming more competitive.
With less than eight weeks until early voting begins, Democrat James Talarico is the only candidate with ads airing on television in Texas.
Multiple reports show Talarico has spent more than $25 million on advertising since May, with nearly $11 million going toward broadcast spots.
During the same period, Paxton has reportedly spent about $119,000, nearly all of it on digital advertising.
"Talarico's advertising advantage over the summer, I think, is part of the reason that he, at this juncture, has built a small lead over Paxton," said Dr. Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
The latest RealClearPolitics polling average shows Talarico with a 1.7 percentage point lead. The Cook Political Report has also moved the race from "Lean Republican" to a "Toss Up."
Paxton acknowledged the shift while appealing for support during an interview with Fox News.
"We need help now because James Talarico has been spending three or $4 million a week on TV for the last month. So I want to compete," Paxton said.
The Republican is counting on more financial support from his party, but that money has been slow to materialize. Some Republican donors remain reluctant to back Paxton after GOP leaders and several high-dollar donors supported incumbent Sen. John Cornyn during a bitter primary. Trump endorsed Paxton late in that contest.
"And they're somewhat resentful that now there's a need to dump a lot of money from the Republican side into Texas," Wilson said.
Campaign finance reports show Talarico has raised nearly $72 million so far, compared with $16.8 million for Paxton.
