Talarico notches record fundraising haul
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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. As of Wednesday morning, Paxton's campaign has not yet disclosed its quarterly fundraising figures, but Cornyn has outraised him during previous reporting periods.
Driving the news: Wednesday is the Federal Election Commission filing deadline for first quarter campaign finance reports.
- Axios has not yet reviewed the filings of the Talarico, Cornyn or Paxton campaigns because they have not yet been posted. Included in those filings is information about donors and how much money each campaign had in cash on hand at the end of the quarter.
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.
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.
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.
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.