James Talarico Raises Record $27 Million in First Quarter of Senate Campaign

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has reported raising over $27 million in the first quarter of 2026, a figure his campaign describes as the largest ever for a U.S. Senate candidate in the first quarter of an election year.

Talarico, a state representative and Presbyterian seminarian, secured the Democratic nomination in March, defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett. His campaign indicates that $10 million of the total was raised following the March 3 primary.

The substantial fundraising positions Talarico favorably as he prepares to face the winner of the Republican primary runoff between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, scheduled for May 26. Cornyn's campaign reported nearly $9 million raised in the same quarter, while Paxton has yet to disclose his fundraising figures.

Talarico's campaign manager, Seth Krasne, emphasized the importance of this financial support, stating, "Winning in Texas will require unprecedented resources. 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."

This fundraising achievement surpasses previous records set by Texas Democratic Senate candidates. In 2018, Beto O'Rourke raised $6.7 million in the first quarter and ultimately amassed over $80 million for his campaign.

Talarico's campaign reports contributions from over 540,000 individual donors across 246 of Texas' 254 counties, reflecting widespread grassroots support.

As Democrats aim to gain control of the Senate, Talarico's fundraising success is seen as a significant development in their strategy to make Texas competitive at the statewide level.