State Representative James Talarico has significantly bolstered his U.S. Senate campaign, raising nearly $7 million in the most recent fundraising quarter. This brings his total fundraising to approximately $13 million since he announced his candidacy, according to his campaign.
Talarico has quickly established himself as a formidable fundraiser, having collected $6.2 million in the first three weeks of his campaign, a figure that surpasses the fundraising efforts of other recent Democratic candidates seeking statewide office. Notably, Democrats have not secured a statewide position in Texas since 1994.
The latest report indicates that Talarico received contributions totaling $6.8 million, suggesting a continued momentum in fundraising. The former public school teacher has represented a district encompassing North Austin and parts of Pflugerville and Round Rock in the Texas House since 2018. Remarkably, 98% of his donations were $100 or less, and no contributions came from corporate political action committees.
While the specifics of Talarico’s expenditures remain unclear, all candidates running for federal office are required to submit a financial update to the election commission by the end of the month.
“With the support of over 215,000 neighbors, we are crafting a campaign aimed at winning both the primary and the general election, delivering results for working families across Texas,” Talarico stated, highlighting the number of individual donors to his campaign.
In response, Talarico’s primary opponent, U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett from Dallas, noted that she had experienced record fundraising during every quarter last year, although she did not disclose her total earnings. “I’ve been in this race for less than a month and had just 23 days to raise funds during the most challenging fundraising period of the year, and I will still report another record-breaking quarter,” Crockett remarked, entering the race after Talarico in December.
A recent poll indicated that Crockett currently leads Talarico by 8 percentage points.
Talarico’s initial fundraising success provides him an advantage over former U.S. Representative Collin Allred, who took two months to accumulate a similar amount during his unsuccessful campaign against U.S. Senator Ted Cruz last cycle. Allred has since exited the Senate race to pursue a seat in the Dallas-based 33rd Congressional District.
On the Republican side, U.S. Senator John Cornyn faces a significant challenge in his bid for re-election, with Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt of Houston vying for the GOP nomination against him. As of October, Cornyn holds a substantial financial lead over both challengers.
