Texas Democrat James Talarico reports record $64 million quarter in Senate race
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The gist
Texas state Rep. James Talarico's Senate campaign said it raised a record $64 million in three months.
The haul funds a Democrat's long-shot bid in a state his party hasn't won statewide since 1994.
Background
James Talarico is a Texas state representative, a seminarian and the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, running against Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General and Republican nominee. Paxton, who was impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature and later acquitted, beat incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn in this year's primary with President Donald Trump's backing. No Democrat has won a Senate election in Texas since 1988 or any statewide race there since 1994, and Talarico faces more than $158 million in outside spending by Republican leadership and Elon Musk. The race is trending now because of the scale of Talarico's fundraising and his return to the trail after a nine-day flu absence that his opponents attacked.
How it unfolded
- Oct 12, 2026Talarico returns to the campaign trail after being sidelined for nine days with the flu, renewing his call for a debate with Paxton.
- Oct 15, 2026His campaign announces a record-breaking $64 million raised in three months, more than any Senate candidate ever in a third quarter, bringing his total to $134 million since he announced last year.
- Oct 15, 2026At a packed rally, Talarico compares his campaign to David fighting Goliath, telling supporters "You are my slingshot."
- Oct 16, 2026Talarico announces the statewide "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts Tour" to close out his campaign, starting Sunday evening in Plano.
- Oct 18, 2026He launches a 20-stop statewide tour with a 5 p.m. rally at the Red Tail Pavilion in Plano, followed by stops in Denton and Fort Worth.
Who’s saying what
- Talarico
- He says Texas has "an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis," and that grassroots donors are uniting to "end billionaire control over our politics."
- Paxton
- Paxton's campaign has frequently attacked Talarico over his silence during his flu absence, and Paxton said earlier this month he raised $18 million in the same period.
- Talarico
- He says Texans are tired of being divided into red versus blue teams and that his tour aims to unite working people onto one team.
Still unverified
Online claims that Talarico had dropped out, flown to a mental health facility in Ohio or died were false; his spokesperson J.T. Ennis called them "a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory," and the Lindner Center of Hope said Talarico has never received treatment there. The candidates' full financial picture will become clearer after quarterly reports are filed with the FEC.