James Talarico announces record-breaking $64 million fundraising haul in Texas Senate race

October 15, 2026 / 10:33 AM EDT / CBS News

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico raised a record-breaking $64 million in three months — more than any Senate candidate ever in the third quarter — his campaign announced Thursday.

The campaign said that brings Talarico's total fundraising to $134 million since he announced his candidacy last year.

His Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, said earlier this month that he had raised $18 million in the same period. Talarico broke Jamie Harrison's record of $57 million, raised during the third quarter in his unsuccessful 2020 Senate campaign in South Carolina.

Although a Democrat hasn't won a Senate election in Texas since 1988, Democrats there have been powerhouse fundraisers. In 2018, candidate Beto O'Rourke raised a then-record $38 million in the same three-month period.

Recent polls have shown Talarico with a slight lead over Paxton.

Incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn, a prolific fundraiser, lost the primary earlier this year to Paxton, who has long struggled as a fundraiser. Republicans have dumped hundreds of millions into the race to support Paxton, even as there have been leaks of audio clips of Paxton appearing to disparage national involvement in the race.

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Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/