DevelopingPoliticsTimeline
Paxton–Talarico Texas U.S. Senate Race
Updated 16 updatessince 104 outlets
The 2026 Texas US Senate race is heating up, with Republican Ken Paxton facing pressure to increase fundraising against Democrat James Talarico, while polls show a competitive landscape for both parties.
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Now
Polls released today indicate that Democratic candidates are leading by narrow margins in the Texas and Michigan Senate races.
15 sources · The Guardian, CNBC
Kamala Harris announced her participation in Abdul El-Sayed's campaign for the Senate, planning to campaign together next week.
21 sources · The Hill, ArcaMax
MAGA Inc., the main pro-Trump super PAC, revealed a $10 million advertising expenditure aimed at supporting Republican Ken Paxton while targeting Democrat James Talarico in the competitive Texas Senate race.
7 sources · New York Times, CBS News
Republican Senator John Kennedy publicly expressed alarm over Ken Paxton's fundraising struggles against Democrat James Talarico, urging President Trump to deploy campaign funds to bolster Paxton's efforts.
16 sources · The Guardian, Washington Post
Truth and Courage PAC, affiliated with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, has initiated a $1.7 million advertising campaign attacking Democrat James Talarico in the Texas U.S. Senate race.
11 sources · Axios, Newsweek
James Talarico has begun emphasizing his Christian faith as a core part of his campaign for the Texas Senate, contrasting it with his opponent Ken Paxton's evangelical background.
13 sources · Reuters, ABC News
James Talarico leads Ken Paxton by four points, according to a recent Texas Pulse poll, with Talarico receiving 47% support compared to Paxton's 43%. This marks a significant change from the two candidates being tied in a prior poll in June.
6 sources · Al Jazeera, Fox News
Republican support for Ken Paxton's Senate campaign has dropped significantly, with major PACs like Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc. holding off on financial backing. Paxton faces an uphill battle as Democratic opponent James Talarico has vastly out-fundraised him, holding nine times as much cash in his campaign…
14 sources · New York Times, NPR
New New York Times/Siena poll has found that Democratic candidate James Talarico and Republican incumbent Ken Paxton are locked in a tie, each garnering 47% of the vote among likely Texas voters.
5 sources · New York Times, CBS News
Texas Senate race intensified as Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton exchanged sharp personal attacks following Paxton's victory in the GOP primary. Talarico labeled Paxton the 'most corrupt politician in America,' while Paxton countered by deriding Talarico's past statements.
6 sources · The Hill, CBS News
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton decisively defeated four-term Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff, securing approximately 64% of the vote. Paxton's victory, bolstered by an endorsement from President Trump, suggests a shift in Texas politics, as Democrats may find new opportunities in what was…
10 sources · NPR, Reuters
President Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the upcoming Republican Senate runoff against incumbent John Cornyn, stating that Paxton is a 'true MAGA Warrior' who has always delivered for Texas.
20 sources · New York Times, AP
James Talarico won the Texas Democratic Senate primary, receiving 53.1% of the vote compared to 45.6% for Jasmine Crockett.
21 sources · New York Times, AP
Voting hours were extended in Dallas County by two hours to 9 PM local time due to voter confusion from new precinct rules that restricted voting locations.
4 sources · Local10, Newsday
Sen. John Cornyn expressed concerns over the electability of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP primaries, claiming he is 'unelectable in November.' The Democratic primary features a head-to-head battle between Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico, with a significant increase in early voter…
20 sources · New York Times, Fox News
Covered by 2 outlets
4 sources · BBC, Newsweek
- Origin Feb 26, 2026
The story so far
As of September 17, 2026
Texas’ Senate race has turned into a live test of whether a Democrat can finally crack a state Republicans have held statewide for more than three decades. Attorney General Ken Paxton ousted Senator John Cornyn in the primary, but enters the general election trailing by a sliver: fresh polls now show Democrat James Talarico with a narrow lead. That edge is new in Texas politics and rests less on partisan realignment than on the structure of this race: one nominee short of cash and mired in baggage, the other flooding the airwaves early.
Money explains most of the map here. In the spring, Talarico raised about $30 million to Paxton’s $9 million, then turned it into an ad blitz that cost $40.1 million through late summer, while Paxton’s campaign logged about $264,000. Texas is punishingly expensive to advertise in, with 20 separate TV markets and weekly statewide TV estimated around $8 million, and candidates buy TV cheaper than outside groups do. The early spending let Talarico introduce himself and then hit Paxton over past misconduct allegations that led to an impeachment and acquittal, while Paxton’s side was largely quiet.
Republicans have been trying to close the gap from the outside. Senate Republicans’ main super PAC has not reserved Texas airtime, and party figures have pressed Donald Trump to bankroll the race. MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, just made a $10 million buy on streaming and digital platforms, split between boosting Paxton and attacking Talarico. A Ted Cruz–aligned group earlier spent $1.7 million against Talarico, and an Elon Musk–backed committee has put in $1.4 million. The party also used a Dallas convention to rally donors and voters, with Paxton featured onstage.
What is at stake now is control of the Senate and whether late, national money can overcome a sustained, in‑state funding deficit. The facts that tie this together are straightforward: Paxton’s legal and ethical troubles chilled traditional fundraising, which let Talarico own the most expensive part of the campaign for weeks, and that head start shows up in today’s slim Democratic lead. The next phase is an air war moving onto streaming and phones, where campaigns and outside groups pay the same rates, and where Trump’s $10 million is designed to erase the one advantage that has defined this race so far.
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