Talarico notches record fundraising haul
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaking during a campaign event in September. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico hauled in more than $27 million in the first quarter of 2026, his campaign announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The money raised by the state legislator from Austin dwarfs the amount incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn raised during the same period and will play a key role in persuading voters in what is shaping up as a very expensive race.
- Cornyn is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May runoff.
Driving the news: Wednesday is the Federal Election Commission filing deadline for first quarter campaign finance reports.
Stunning stat: Talarico's latest haul is the largest amount ever raised by a U.S. Senate candidate in the first quarter of an election year, per his campaign.
- Talarico's campaign said 97% of contributions to the campaign this election cycle have been $100 or less.
- He defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) in the Democratic primary last month.
What they're saying: "This grassroots fundraising haul puts our movement in a strong position to spread our message in some of the most expensive media markets in the country," Talarico for Texas campaign manager Seth Krasne said in a statement.
- Talarico for Texas finished the quarter with $9.9 million in cash on hand.
The other side: The Cornyn campaign said it raised nearly $9 million in the first quarter, including $3.4 million in the four weeks after the March 3 primary. Texans for Senator John Cornyn finished the quarter with $4.9 million on hand — and millions of dollars more are supporting Cornyn's campaign through related groups.
- Ken Paxton for Senate raised $1.15 million in the period covering Feb. 12 to March 31, per its quarterly FEC filing. It finished the period with $2.1 million on hand.
- Surveys show Paxton polling ahead of Cornyn in the runoff.
Flashback: In the first quarter of 2018, Beto O'Rourke, then a Democratic congressman representing El Paso, raised $6.7 million in his race against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. O'Rourke ended up raising a total of $80.3 million, more than twice that of Cruz, and narrowly lost.
Between the lines: Neither the Democratic National Committee nor the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has committed cash to the Texas race, which is currently rated as "Likely Republican" by the Cook Political Report.
- "Talarico is building a juggernaut campaign and the coalition to win," DSCC spokesperson Monica Robinson tells Axios via email.
- Cornyn has the support of the party's establishment and stalwart Republican donors — among donors to his campaign during the first quarter was George W. Bush, who listed "former president" as his occupation.
The intrigue: Cook Political Report noted it would change its rating in the race to "Lean Republican" if Paxton prevails in the runoff.