President Donald Trump returned to Texas for his third visit in the past month, throwing his political weight behind embattled state Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Republican candidates as the campaign enters its final week. With control of both the House and Senate hanging in the balance, the president’s red state tour aims to energize conservative voters and turn out the party base.
The political stakes in the Lone Star State are underscored by unprecedented financial investments. More than $1 billion in overall ad spending has poured into Texas from both political parties. The high-profile Senate race between Paxton and Democrat James Talarico has absorbed well over half of that total, placing the contest on track to become the most expensive Senate race in United States history.
Recent polling averages indicate a tightly contested landscape. Data from MS NOW/FiftyPlusOne shows Talarico holding a slight edge over Paxton, capturing 49.2 percent to 46.5 percent in the latest surveys. To counter Democratic momentum and mobilize key demographics—particularly young men—Trump is enlisting prominent regional sports figures. According to a White House official, former college football standouts Johnny Manziel and Colt McCoy, alongside two-time Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola, are joining the president on the campaign trail.
Trump’s itinerary features two separate rallies across the state. He is scheduled to make his first stop in the southern coast city of Corpus Christi, followed by an evening visit to Lubbock in deeply conservative West Texas. Corpus Christi is situated within Texas’ 34th Congressional District, a crucial battleground that supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election while sending a Democrat to the House.
Political strategists view the district as a prime pick-up opportunity for the GOP in the midterms. According to a Republican strategist familiar with party strategy who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Corpus Christi congressional contest stands out as one of the premier offensive targets nationwide for the party. Electoral competitiveness in the district is clearly reflected in advertising expenditures, where Republican efforts to unseat Democratic incumbent Vincent Gonzalez clash directly with Democratic defense strategies, making it the most expensive House race in the state according to data compiled by ad tracking firm AdImpact.
