Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico announced Thursday that he raised a record $64 million during the third quarter, marking the largest quarterly fundraising total ever for a U.S. Senate campaign from either party. The figure more than triples the amount raised by his Republican opponent, incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton, as the contest intensifies in the traditionally conservative Lone Star State.
Talarico, 39, credited his fundraising success to widespread grassroots support across Texas, emphasizing a campaign focused on reducing the influence of wealthy donors and addressing economic concerns facing working families. His campaign haul has now reached $134 million overall for the election cycle.
While Talarico maintains a moderate platform designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of voters, Paxton’s campaign relies heavily on outside Republican groups and former President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc., which have collectively spent hundreds of millions supporting the incumbent. Paxton declined to participate in a recent CNN town hall featuring Talarico and has largely avoided debates, even as Republican-backed ads proliferate against the Democrat.
During the town hall event Wednesday evening, Talarico sought to connect with undecided voters by emphasizing his populist stance and distancing himself from partisan divides. He criticized billionaires such as Elon Musk for exploiting cultural issues, including transgender rights, to fracture working-class Americans, asserting, “The only minority destroying America is the billionaires.” He called for unity beyond partisan and geographic divisions, stating, “We’re all on the same team.”
Talarico positioned himself as an independent-minded candidate, rejecting the label of a party loyalist and expressing support for border security, gun rights, and the oil and gas industry central to Texas’s economy. His willingness to revisit and clarify some of his more controversial remarks—such as describing God as “non-binary,” which drew criticism from some religious voters—earned him recognition for candor. He acknowledged concerns raised by a devout Christian attendee who cautioned against applying modern cultural terminology to faith.
In conversations with Christian voters, Talarico differentiated himself from staunch pro-life positions by acknowledging their perspective while advocating for bipartisan efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions. His approach reportedly persuaded at least one anti-abortion voter to consider supporting him.
Throughout the town hall, Talarico kept a largely positive tone, mentioning Paxton and Trump sparingly until his closing remarks. He highlighted Paxton’s impeachment by fellow Republicans on corruption charges and questioned the incumbent’s accumulation of wealth, noting Paxton’s purchase of 15 homes despite a state attorney general’s salary.
As the Texas Senate race enters its final phase, fundraising strength and strategic outreach to moderate and undecided voters appear critical in a state Democrats have not won in three decades.