Republican opponent Ken Paxton has lagged in fundraising, but has major financial support from national GOP groups.
By Joseph Morton
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
WASHINGTON – Democrat James Talarico announced Thursday his Senate campaign raised $64 million in the third quarter, a record-setting haul he can use to push back on the deluge of national GOP money helping his opponent, Ken Paxton.
Talarico said his team has raised more than $134 million since launching in September 2025 from more than 1.3 million individual contributors.
“Grassroots contributors from across Texas are coming together to end billionaire control over our politics and bring down costs for working families,” Talarico said in a news release.
The announcement comes a day after Talarico took part in a CNN town hall in Fort Worth, fielding voter questions.
Candidates typically report totals for their principal campaign committees and affiliated fundraising entities.
The Paxton campaign said last week it had raised $18 million for the quarter. Paxton representatives said Republicans from all corners of the state had donated because they understand the stakes of the November election.
Talarico’s fundraising edge allowed him to have the summer airwaves largely to himself as Paxton, the attorney general, sought to unify Republicans after a bitterly contested GOP runoff in which he defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn.
Super PACs affiliated with President Donald Trump, Senate GOP leadership and prominent Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz have been running ads in recent weeks to bolster Paxton.
Much of the advertising has focused on Talarico’s previous statements and positions, portraying him as too liberal for the state.
The effect of the Republican spending is partially mitigated by legal requirements that campaigns receive the lowest advertising rates late in a race. That means a dollar spent directly by Talarico’s campaign at this stage often buys more airtime than one spent by an independent super PAC.
According to AdImpact, the Texas Senate race has surpassed $500 million in combined ad spending and reservations across the primary, runoff and general elections.
The political ad tracking firm said it’s the second non-presidential race to cross that threshold, after the 2024 Ohio Senate race.
Washington Bureau
Joseph Morton covers the intersection of business and politics in the Washington Bureau. Before joining The News, Joseph worked for CQ Roll Call and the Omaha World-Herald. He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
