James Talarico Tops $30 Million as Ken Paxton Faces Fundraising Gap in Texas Senate Race
James Talarico’s campaign says it raised more than $30 million in the second quarter, giving the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee a major financial headline in his race against Republican Ken Paxton.
The Texas Tribune reported that Talarico’s April-through-June total was more than triple Paxton’s announced $9 million haul. Talarico’s campaign also said he has now raised more than $70 million from more than 1.5 million donations since entering the race.
The fundraising gap matters because Texas is no longer looking like a sleepy long-shot race. A June University of Texas and Texas Politics Project poll found Paxton at 43 percent and Talarico at 42 percent, a statistically indistinguishable result.
Still, the money race is not settled. Full second-quarter FEC reports are due July 15, and those filings will show cash on hand, donor details, and how much each campaign can actually spend.
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Paxton also has a potential counterweight. The Tribune reported that a recent Supreme Court ruling could allow party committees to coordinate more spending with candidates, giving national Republican groups a path to help Paxton even if Talarico leads in direct fundraising.
Paxton’s campaign framed its $9 million quarter as evidence of Republican energy and described Talarico as heavily funded and ideologically extreme. Talarico’s campaign pointed to small-dollar support, saying 97 percent of donations were $100 or less.
Online reaction reflected that split. Political accounts emphasized the historic size of Talarico’s haul, while Reddit commenters in Texas political forums treated the number as encouraging but not enough by itself to overcome the state’s Republican lean.
The next test comes when the FEC filings show whether Talarico’s fundraising edge translates into a durable cash advantage.
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