James
Talarico

1. Economy & jobs Supports tax fairness and cutting costs for working families +

2. Housing Supports increasing housing supply and reducing construction barriers +

3. Health care Supports a Medicare public option for all Americans +

4. Immigration Supports balanced border enforcement and welcoming legal immigrants +

5. Abortion & reproductive rights Supports codifying Roe v. Wade +

6. Education Opposes private-school vouchers; defends public education funding +

7. Climate & energy Supports all-of-the-above energy with renewables and climate action +

8. Crime & public safety Supports law enforcement resources and prevention; earlier called for replacing policing +

9. Taxes & budget Supports higher taxes on billionaires and corporations; cuts for working families +

10. Guns Supports Second Amendment with universal background checks and age restrictions +

11. Democracy & elections Supports anti-corruption package, ban on PACs, and voting rights protections +

12. Foreign policy & defense Supports alliances, Ukraine aid, conditioned Israel arms, two-state solution +

1. Oct 9
   news

   Talarico returns to campaign trail at Austin music festival after ~9-day absence

   Talarico made an in-person appearance at an Austin music festival on October 9, returning to the trail after approximately nine days off due to flu. The New York Times reported his return amid ongoing GOP criticism of the absence.

   ↳ James Talarico Returns to Senate Campaign Trail in Texas After 10 ... · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
2. Oct 8
   endorsement

   Multiple major Texas newspapers back Talarico over Paxton

   News reports noted that major Texas newspaper editorial boards had endorsed Talarico over Paxton in the U.S. Senate race.

   ↳ Talarico earns major Texas newspaper backing over Paxton in US Senate race · Oct 8, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
3. Oct 8
   endorsement

   Willie Nelson endorses James Talarico for U.S. Senate

   Talarico's campaign announced Willie Nelson's endorsement via video. Nelson said, 'I've had the pleasure of getting to know James Talarico. He is a good person who will serve well as a senator for Texas.'

   ↳ Willie Nelson endorses James Talarico. See who else has his support · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
4. Oct 8
   controversy

   Trump publicly attacks Talarico over campaign trail absence, calls for debate

   President Trump publicly questioned Talarico's absence from the trail and called for a debate. Talarico responded online: 'I agree. Ball's in your court @KenPaxtonTX.' The Texas Tribune noted Talarico had accepted four debate invitations while Paxton had accepted none.

   ↳ In attacking Talarico for campaign absence, Trump calls for debate that Paxton has avoided · Oct 8, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
5. Oct 7
   news

   Total ad spending in Texas Senate race surpasses $440 million

   AdImpact estimates cited by news outlets put total advertising in the Paxton-Talarico Senate race above $440 million, with Republican spending at roughly $323 million and Democratic spending at $116 million as of early October.

   ↳ How Talarico and Paxton’s Midterms War Chests Compare · Oct 7, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
6. Oct 7
   debate

   Texas Republicans, including Paxton, decline Democratic debate invitations

   The Texas Tribune reported that most Texas Republican statewide candidates, including Paxton, were ignoring Democratic calls to debate ahead of the November election.

   ↳ Texas Republicans are refusing to debate for the election · Oct 7, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
7. Oct 6
   controversy

   Talarico's flu-related campaign absence draws attack ads from Republicans

   Talarico's absence from the trail due to flu became fodder for Republican attack ads, with his campaign maintaining the absence was illness-related.

   ↳ Talarico steps off Texas Senate campaign trail after flu diagnosis · Oct 6, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
8. Oct 6
   poll

   YouGov poll shows Talarico leading Paxton 50%–44% among likely voters

   A YouGov poll of 3,625 likely Texas voters showed Talarico ahead 50% to 44%, with a reported margin of error of 3 points.

   ↳ Talarico continues to lead polls as spending ramps up in Texas ... · Oct 6, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
9. Oct 5
   controversy

   Talarico endorsed by group that previously bailed out violent criminal

   Fox News reported that a group honoring Talarico with an endorsement had previously bailed out a violent criminal who was later accused of mass murder, framing it as a liability for his campaign.

   ↳ Talarico endorsed by group that bailed out violent criminal later ... · Oct 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
10. Oct 5
    poll

    NYT/Siena poll: Talarico leads Paxton 51%–45% among likely voters

    A New York Times/Siena poll of 615 likely voters surveyed September 21–30 showed Talarico ahead 51% to 45%, within the ±4.5-point margin of error. Talarico led among Hispanic voters, younger voters, and women.

    ↳ NYT poll shakes up Texas Senate, governor's races before early voting · Oct 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
11. Oct 5
    endorsement

    Austin American-Statesman editorial board endorses Talarico over Paxton

    The Austin American-Statesman editorial board endorsed Talarico, writing 'We strongly recommend state Rep. James Talarico' for the U.S. Senate seat.

    ↳ Texans deserve Talarico's service over Paxton's self-interest · Oct 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
12. Oct 5
    news

    Paxton reports record $18 million third-quarter fundraising haul

    Paxton reported raising $18 million from July through September, his largest quarterly total. Talarico had not yet released his third-quarter numbers; the filing deadline was October 15.

    ↳ Ken Paxton raises personal best $18 million in third quarter · Oct 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
13. Oct 1
    poll

    Fox News poll shows Talarico leading Paxton 51%–49% among likely voters

    A Fox News poll conducted September 24–28 showed Talarico ahead 51% to 49% among likely voters, within the ±3-point margin of error. Among registered voters his lead was 7 points.

    ↳ Fox News poll shows Talarico leads Ken Paxton in Texas Senate race · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
14. Sep 30
    news

    Talarico discloses flu diagnosis, joins forum virtually, steps off trail

    Talarico joined a U.S. Hispanic Business Council forum virtually and disclosed he had the flu. His campaign said his last in-person Texas appearance was September 26 and that he would return after recovering.

    ↳ Talarico steps off Texas Senate campaign trail after flu diagnosis · Oct 6, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
15. Sep 26
    news

    Talarico calls for federal gas tax suspension and end to Iran war

    At a Carrollton gas station, Talarico called for suspending federal gasoline and diesel taxes and ending the U.S. war with Iran, saying it would provide Texans 'immediate relief at the pump.' Paxton also expressed support for suspending or permanently repealing the gas tax.

    ↳ Paxton, Talarico spar over suspending gas tax · Sep 26, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
16. Sep 25
    debate

    Talarico challenges Paxton to Fox News debate at Texas Tribune Festival

    At the Texas Tribune Festival, Talarico challenged Paxton to debate on Fox News with Brett Baier moderating, saying 'I'll go into the lion's den because I know what I believe.' He had also accepted CNN and local TV invitations.

    ↳ 'I'll go into the lion's den': Talarico proposes FOX News debate with Paxton · Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
17. Aug 28
    filing

    Texas certifies Paxton, Talarico, and Brown on U.S. Senate ballot

    Texas's final ballot certification listed three U.S. Senate candidates: Ken Paxton (Republican), James Talarico (Democratic), and Ted Brown (Libertarian), per the Texas Secretary of State.

    ↳ The Stated Record · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

• Planned Parenthood Texas Votes / Planned Parenthood Victory Fund organization
  Listed Talarico as endorsed for U.S. Senate; no announcement date stated on the endorsement page. plannedparenthoodaction.org
• Austin American-Statesman Editorial Board newspaper
  Editorial board recommended Talarico, writing 'We recommend him to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.' statesman.com · Oct 5, 2026
• Adam Kinzinger (and 'Republicans for Talarico' group including Steve Bartlett, Tom Phillips, Jimmie Don Aycock, and ~17 others) official
  Former U.S. representative Kinzinger joined a group of 21 current and former Republican officials and political figures backing Talarico under the 'Republicans for Talarico' banner. yahoo.com · Sep 10, 2026
• Actors' Equity Association union
  Actors' Equity Association endorsed Talarico for U.S. Senate. actorsequity.org · Jun 8, 2026
• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union
  Largest federal employee union endorsed Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas. afge.org · Jun 4, 2026
• Human Rights Campaign PAC organization
  HRC PAC formally endorsed Talarico for U.S. Senate. hrc.org · Jun 4, 2026
• Texas Organizing Project PAC (TOP PAC) organization
  Texas Organizing Project PAC endorsed Talarico. organizetexas.org · May 29, 2026
• Houston Chronicle Editorial Board newspaper
  Editorial board endorsed Talarico, writing 'We need James Talarico.' stylemagazine.com · May 28, 2026
• Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) union
  The political arm of the Texas state labor movement endorsed Talarico for U.S. Senate. texasaflcio.org · Apr 15, 2026

Raised

$68.56M

Spent

$47.01M

Cash on hand

$21.55M

As of Jun 30, 2026. Filings are periodic, so recent money may not be included yet. ↳ FEC record S6TX00479(opens in a new tab)