Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico hauled in more than $27 million in the first quarter of 2026.

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: Yesterday was 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.

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. It finished the quarter with $4.9 million on hand.

• Cornyn has the support of the party's establishment — among donors to his campaign during the first quarter was George W. Bush, who listed "former president" as his occupation.
• Ken Paxton for Senate raised $1.15 million from Feb. 12 to March 31, per its quarterly FEC filing, and finished the period with $2.1 million on hand.

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.

The intrigue: Cook Political Report noted it would change its rating in the race to "Lean Republican" if Paxton prevails in the runoff.

A state district judge said yesterday she would continue to block the owners of Camp Mystic from making repairs in the area where 27 girls died in the July 4 floods, per multiple news reports.

• The judge also said that Camp Mystic may have violated rules by not having a written evacuation plan.

Why it matters: The 3-day hearing, which included emotional testimony by members of the family that runs the camp and a night security guard who rescued girls, provided the most insight into the catastrophe the public has gotten since the flood more than nine months ago.

The big picture: The parents of 8-year-old Cile Steward, whose body has not been found and who hailed from Austin, sued the camp's owners for negligence, one of several lawsuits filed against the camp.

Catch up quick: At the request of the Steward family, who wants the Guadalupe River site to be preserved for evidence, Travis County state District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble last month temporarily blocked Camp Mystic from renovating or altering it.

• The Eastland family, which has long operated the camp, wants to reopen another site that is roughly 2 miles from the Guadalupe site, saying 850 families have enrolled for this summer.

What's next: Guerra Gamble moved up the date of the trial to June 2027, according to the Kerr County Lead.

• A hearing in an appeals court on the temporary injunction is scheduled for Monday in Austin.

What state regulators say

🚰 Aiming to increase capacity to keep up with city growth — more people means more sewage — Austin this week broke ground on a $1.5 billion modernization of its Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in northeast Austin. (KEYE)

🏭 Acutronic plans to build a jet engine factory near Austin, adding to the region's growing aerospace and defense footprint. (Austin Business Journal 🔒)

🐄 The old Trudy's Tex-Mex site just north of the University of Texas campus has been purchased by the family that operates Original Black's Barbecue. (Austin American-Statesman 🔒)

Here are our picks for weekend fun.

Friday

🎥 Watch "Carnival in the Night," a gritty, punk-infused 1981 film about a single mother navigating a Japanese underground. At AFS Cinema at 9:15pm. $14.

Saturday

🏺 Take workshops in clay, collage, charcoal and pencil, hosted by Future Front, $15 apiece, running 11am-7pm.

🇧🇷 Celebrate Brazilian samba at a show marking the 25th anniversary of Austin Samba, at the Zilker Hillside Theater, 6-9pm. Free.

Sunday

🎷 Tap your feet to a performance by the the Violet Crown Serenaders, hosted by the Austin Traditional Jazz Society, 2-4:45pm, at the Ben Hur Shrine Temple off Anderson Lane. $12, or $5 for college students.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made a case for the embrace of Western civilization on university campuses during an address at the University of Texas on Wednesday.

State of play: Thomas, one of the court's most conservative justices, said he was invited by Justin Dyer, dean of the new School of Civic Leadership.

• Inside the Hogg Memorial Auditorium, Republican state lawmakers, conservative judges and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow applauded; outside, UT students assembled to protest.

What they're saying: Thomas framed his talk as inaugurating the "great initiative" by UT "to restore the teaching of civics and Western civilization to a central place in its flagship university."

• Thomas celebrated the Declaration of Independence —which he called "one of the greatest anti-slavery" documents of Western civilization.

The bottom line: Thomas urged courage in the face of challenges to personal principles, including "running for your school board when you see that they are teaching your children to hate your values and our country."