In the closing weeks of a long campaign season, Democrat James Talarico is asking Texas voters to imagine something their state has not seen in a generation: a Democrat winning statewide office. Standing as an underdog who has grown into a credible challenger to Republican Ken Paxton, he is betting that voter fatigue with Paxton's past troubles and a message about the rising cost of living can finally move a state that has resisted his party for more than three decades. The outcome matters beyond Texas borders, because it may decide whether the Senate remains in Republican hands for the final
Talarico Rallies as Texas Senate Race Against Paxton Enters Final Weeks
A bog of investigations and opposition, or smooth sailing for Trump
Mark
Why is this race getting so much attention now when earlier Texas Democrats didn't?
Mimi
Because the picture changed. Talarico started as another hopeful who might fade, and now he's treated as a genuine contender. He raised $64 million in the third quarter, far ahead of Paxton.
Luke
Worth noting that the record claim comes from his campaign. The reporting doesn't independently confirm it.
Mark
What's helping him besides money?
Mimi
Voter unease about Paxton, who was impeached by Republicans in the legislature and later acquitted.
Luke
The reporting says that's partly why Talarico is doing well. It doesn't show how much, and there's no polling given here.
Mark
Why does the Senate control angle matter?
Mimi
Whoever wins helps decide the Senate for Trump's last two years, either an easy path for him or a lot of investigations and opposition.
Mark
And the flu absence?
Mimi
Nine days out of sight, and online rumors filled the gap, including a false claim about a mental health facility in Ohio. It didn't hold up.
Luke
So the rumor is debunked, but we don't know whether it affected any voters.
Mark
Why won't Sanders share a stage with him?
Mimi
Talarico has kept distance from Biden's administration and his own party, aiming for a nonpartisan stance across very different regions. The article doesn't give his reasoning beyond that.
El Pulso
- A rally in San Marcos marks the home stretch of a race that once looked hopeless for Democrats and now looks genuinely uncertain.
- Talarico's record-setting $64 million third-quarter haul is pushing money and attention into a state that has long been a Republican fortress.
- Paxton's past corruption questions and a Senate impeachment he survived have given voters a reason to second-guess the Republican standard-bearer.
- A nine-day flu absence sparked conspiracy claims online, including a baseless story about a mental health facility, testing how the campaign handles chaos.
- Talarico is threading through metro, border, and rural Texas while keeping distance from both Biden and his own party, with a result that could steer control of the Senate.
In the closing weeks of a long campaign season, Democrat James Talarico is asking Texas voters to imagine something their state has not seen in a generation: a Democrat winning statewide office. Standing as an underdog who has grown into a credible challenger to Republican Ken Paxton, he is betting that voter fatigue with Paxton's past troubles and a message about the rising cost of living can finally move a state that has resisted his party for more than three decades. The outcome matters beyond Texas borders, because it may decide whether the Senate remains in Republican hands for the final stretch of Donald Trump's presidency.
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, took the stage Thursday in San Marcos, a small city south of Austin, as his campaign entered its final weeks. A win would make him the first Democrat to hold statewide office in Texas in more than thirty years, a prospect that once seemed remote.
Nationally, the race has changed its shape. Talarico, a state representative, was first seen as another Democrat whose hopes of flipping Texas would fade on Election Day. Now he is treated as a real contender against Paxton, whose past corruption questions and impeachment by his own party's legislature, followed by acquittal, have left some voters uneasy.
Money has been central. Talarico far outpaced Paxton, raising $64 million in the third quarter, a figure his campaign calls a record for a Senate candidate. The stakes reach past Texas, since control of the Senate will shape the last two years of Trump's term.
The campaign has had its turbulence. Talarico, also a seminarian, was out of public view for nine days with the flu, and that silence fed online conspiracy theories, including a false claim about a treatment center in Ohio that collapsed under scrutiny. He is working to stay nonpartisan, courting metro areas, border towns, and rural Republican country alike, while distancing himself from Biden and his party. Bernie Sanders is campaigning in Texas this month, but will not share a stage with him.
His central message is rising costs. Whether that message, and the money behind it, can end Democrats' long losing streak in Texas remains the open question.
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, was scheduled to rally with supporters on Thursday in San Marcos, a small city south of Austin. The event comes as his underdog campaign heads into its final weeks. If he wins, he would be the first Democrat to take a statewide office in Texas in more than 30 years.
The way the race is being talked about nationally has shifted over recent months. Talarico, a state representative, was first treated as the latest in a line of Democratic candidates who raised the party's hopes of flipping Texas, only to see those hopes fade on Election Day. Now he is regarded as a real contender for the seat against Republican Ken Paxton.
Part of that standing is attributed to voter wariness about Paxton. He has faced questions about corruption in the past, and was impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature. He was later acquitted.
Money has been another marker. Talarico far outpaced Paxton in fundraising and brought in $64 million in the third quarter. His campaign described that as a record for a Senate candidate; the figure is the campaign's own characterization.
The stakes reach beyond Texas. A flagship Republican state turning blue would alarm Republicans and delight Democrats, but the result also matters for control of the Senate during President Donald Trump's final two years in office. Depending on who wins, those years could be smooth sailing for Trump or a bog of investigations and opposition.
Thursday's rally follows a stretch earlier this month when Talarico was out of public view for nine days with the flu. His absence set off a wave of online conspiracy theories, among them the false claim that he was at a mental health treatment center in Ohio. Conservative social media influencers shared it, and it fell apart quickly under closer scrutiny.
Talarico, who is also a seminarian, has tried to keep his campaign as nonpartisan as possible while covering very different terrain: the large metro areas that already lean Democratic, the border towns that flipped from blue to red in the last election, and the Republican high plains and desert in rural Texas. He has distanced himself from both former President Joe Biden's administration and his own party. Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders is coming to Texas this month, but he will not share a stage with Talarico.
His strategy is to go directly at what voters say worries them most: costs that have climbed for years. With the election weeks away, the question is whether that message, and the money behind it, can finally break the long Democratic losing streak in Texas.
Citas Notables
His campaign described the $64 million third-quarter haul as a record for a Senate candidate.— Talarico campaign, as reported by the Daily Camera
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