Origin: Donald Trump withholds campaign funds before midterms

MAGA Inc. ended July with more than $403 million and added another $3 million that month while spending almost nothing. It paid for a Monday rally in Michigan headlined by Vice President JD Vance, a rare battleground outlay. Its only major spend so far was nearly $830,000 for a last-minute push to turn out voters in a South Carolina primary, mostly phone calls and texts.

Advertising time is scarcer and more expensive now than it was in the spring, when others locked in airtime. Campaign firms were told in August to be ready, but many still have not seen a comprehensive plan. In key Texas TV markets, it is already too late for outside groups to buy ads.

Texas has become a pressure point after Ken Paxton unseated Sen. John Cornyn, turning a once-safe seat into a tossup. Democrat James Talarico has raised more than $68.5 million to Paxton’s $9 million and ended June with $21.5 million on hand to Paxton’s $1.75 million. Republicans are pressing for a major investment in the state, even nine figures, but Trump has not committed.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources