FACT Calls for Investigation into Standing for Texas and Hunt for Senate for Potential Campaign Finance Violations

Over $4 Million Spent on Pro Wesley Hunt Advertising Without Required Disclosure Raises Serious Concerns Under Federal Election Law

Washington, D.C. — March 12, 2026 — Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigate Standing for Texas and Hunt for Senate for violating federal campaign finance laws by failing to properly register, report expenditures, and disclose funding related to millions of dollars in political advertising influencing the 2026 U.S. Senate primary election in Texas.

Standing for Texas, a 501(c)(4) organization created in Texas in March 2025, spent more than $4.4 million on five television advertisements promoting the candidacy of Rep. Wesley Hunt during the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate primary election. Despite spending millions to influence the election, Standing for Texas has not registered as a political committee with the FEC nor filed disclosure reports required under the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Federal law requires any group that raises or spends more than $1,000 to influence a federal election to register as a political committee and file regular public disclosure reports detailing expenditures. Moreover, outside groups are required to report independent expenditures, particularly when they occur within 30 days of a primary election.

The complaint also raises concerns about coordination between Standing for Texas and Hunt for Senate. In anonymous X accounts tied to Hunt for Texas and Standing for Texas, the two groups communicated, "discreetly sharing strategic information, private polling, messaging advice and media-buying data.” If the advertisements were produced in coordination with the campaign, they could constitute unlawful in-kind contributions that were never reported to the FEC. Even if the ads were not coordinated, the organization still appears to have failed to file the required independent expenditure reports related to the advertising campaign.

“It is not legal to create an outside organization, spend more than $4 million to influence an election and file nothing with the Federal Election Commission. Federal campaign laws exist to guarantee transparency so voters know who is funding political messaging. The FEC should investigate these activities and determine whether Standing for Texas and Hunt for Senate violated federal law by failing to properly register, report expenditures, and disclose potentially coordinated political engagement," said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.

A full copy of the complaint can be found HERE and the exhibit of social media posts HERE.

FACT is a nonprofit organization promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org

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