FEC filings show James Talarico raised $31.85 million for his Texas Senate campaign through June 30, more than three times Ken Paxton’s $9.15 million. But 82.9% of Paxton’s donations came from Texas, versus 55% for Talarico.
The FEC figures cover the candidates’ official campaigns, not super PACs; individual donations were capped at $3,500 per candidate per election. AdImpact said Texas PAC, affiliated with the Senate Leadership Fund, spent over $51 million backing Paxton, while pro-Democratic groups reserved $43.7 million in ads, much of it from Talarico’s campaign. America PAC reportedly spent $2.6 million on pro-Paxton advertising; MAGA Inc. reserved $10 million in Texas ads and later gave Paxton’s campaign another $5 million.
The article says all eight major pollsters covering the race had Talarico ahead, though several results were within the margin of error. An Emerson College poll of 1,000 Texas voters conducted Sept. 12–14 found 47% favored Talarico and 46% Paxton, with a three-point margin of error. An AARP poll of 895 likely voters from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 gave Talarico a four-point lead, with a 3.3-point margin of error.
