It's strange that Vice President JD Vance, a MAGA Republican, is stopping in South Texas on Sept. 30 to headline a midterm rally.

President Donald Trump swept most South Texas counties in the 2024 election. Vance's visit, along with the enormous sums the Democratic and Republican parties are spending on a U.S. Senate race, raises a question: How tight is that race, really?

It's a shame so much money is being spent here, and Vance shouldn't need to come shore up the state for Republicans.

'This is the race to watch on election night 2026'

In the last presidential election, Trump flipped at least two Texas counties that had been Democratic strongholds. Yet money keeps pouring into the 2026 race for the U.S. Senate, much of it from conservative super political action committees.

Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico's campaign alone had spent nearly $50 million on general election advertising by mid-September.

As of Sept. 25, CBS News reports, super PACs supporting Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had spent or reserved more than $155 million for TV and digital ads in the........

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