Democrat Talarico says he raised record $64 million over summer in Texas Senate race
Democrats have not won statewide in Texas since 1994 or a U.S. Senate race there since 1988, but James Talarico is making the state competitive.
Key points
- Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter, a Senate record.
- Paxton's campaign and allied committees raised $18 million in the same period.
- Republican outside groups have spent over $175 million since Sept. 1.
Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter, his campaign announced Thursday. The campaign said the total is a record for a Senate candidate in the July-through-September period, surpassing the previous record of $57 million set by South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison in 2020.
Talarico has raised more than $134 million since launching his campaign last year, according to his campaign. The campaign said more than 1.3 million people have donated and that 97% of contributions were $100 or less.
Paxton's fundraising and outside support
Republican nominee Ken Paxton announced earlier this month that his campaign and two affiliated fundraising committees raised a combined $18 million during the quarter. Republican outside groups have spent more than $175 million since Sept. 1 supporting Paxton or attacking Talarico, according to AdImpact.
Elon Musk gave $10 million to a pro-Paxton super PAC, a spokesman for Musk's America PAC confirmed Monday. The PAC has spent about $9.4 million attacking Talarico and another $1.8 million supporting Paxton, according to FEC filings.
Grassroots contributors from across Texas are coming together to end billionaire control over our politics and bring down costs for working families
— James Talarico
Context and polling
Federal law guarantees candidates lower broadcast rates for television advertising than super PACs, allowing Talarico's campaign dollars to go further in buying TV exposure. Overall political advertising in the race has surpassed $500 million.
No Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994, and the party has not won a U.S. Senate race there since 1988. Talarico leads Paxton 48.5% to 45.2% in FiftyPlusOne's polling average, a 3.3-percentage point advantage.
