Talarico outspending Crockett in U.S. Senate race

• Lone Star Rising, an independent PAC, has spent over $1.9 million on Democratic advertising in the Senate race, funding ads that claim Crockett isn't a strong enough candidate to win in November.
• Crockett for TX Senate has spent $845,000.

The other side: Republican PACs and candidates have spent nearly $65.5 million on the Senate race since July, significantly more than the $10.8 million spent by Democratic groups.

• Ad spending has been focused on Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, with Republican groups spending $17 million in the Dallas area and nearly $16 million in Houston.

By the numbers: New polling shows Crockett (47%) outperforming Talarico (39%) in the March Democratic primary.

• Hypothetical matchups in the November election show any Republican candidate outperforming any Democratic candidate. The closest hypothetical race would be between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (44%) and Talarico (43%).
• The Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston conducted a statewide survey of 1,502 likely voters for the November general election and 550 likely voters each for the Democratic and Republican primaries between Jan. 20 and Jan. 31.

What's next: Early voting is Feb. 17-27. Election day is March 3.