Texas Democrat Talarico raises record $64 million in third quarter

James Talarico's campaign announced a $64 million fundraising haul from July through September, surpassing the previous third-quarter record.

Texas Democratic state legislator James Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to his campaign. The figure would break the previous third-quarter record of $57 million, set by South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison during his 2020 Senate campaign.

Talarico is competing against Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton's campaign and affiliated fundraising vehicles raised a combined $18 million in the same period. Talarico's campaign said it raised more than $134 million throughout the entire cycle, with contributions averaging $100 or less from over 1.3 million individuals.

The campaign spent more than $20 million on advertising in the last month alone, according to AdImpact. Recent polling shows Talarico with a narrow lead, mostly within the margin of error. Republican outside groups have spent over $175 million since September 1 to support Paxton and attack Talarico, according to AdImpact.