Texas’ Messy Senate Elections Fuel Record-High Primary Spending

Texas Senate primary candidates have a lot of challenges. Money isn’t one of them.

The $100-million-plus duels for both the Democratic and Republican nomination make for the most expensive US Senate primary ever. A likely May 26 runoff on the GOP side would only add to the extraordinary spending.

Republican mega-donors and business groups are attempting to rescue Sen. John Cornyn, while Democratic groups and small donors have put up big numbers for their party’s candidates. All told, spending in the race already exceeds $128 million, a tabulation from AdImpact found.

It reflects both parties’ urgency—and the primary’s outsized ...