Texas State Representative James Talarico was absent from in-person campaign appearances for nine to 12 days in late September and early October while running for U.S. Senate against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico said he was recovering from the flu. Paxton and his allies questioned the absence and called for a debate, which Talarico has challenged Paxton to accept.
$$31.8 million for campaign funds raised through June 30
James Talarico, Texas State Representative, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee; Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, Republican U.S. Senate candidate; President Donald Trump, Supporter of Paxton, called for debate and 4 more
Gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa released a campaign ad titled "Coach" featuring Tim Buchanan, former Aledo High School coach and athletic director. Buchanan said he voted for Abbott three times previously but was switching his support to Hinojosa and breaking from the sidelines to support her candidacy.
Gina Hinojosa, Gubernatorial candidate; Tim Buchanan, Former Aledo High School coach and athletic director; featured in campaign ad; Greg Abbott, Incumbent governor candidate
President Donald Trump held a rally in San Antonio at Freeman Coliseum on October 9, 2026, to support Republican Ken Paxton in his Texas Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. Trump called Paxton "the greatest attorney general in the United States" but also acknowledged he could be "a pain in the a**" at times. Multiple protesters interrupted the event and were escorted out.
Donald Trump, President; rally speaker endorsing Ken Paxton; Ken Paxton, U.S. Senate candidate (Republican); spoke onstage with Trump; James Talarico, U.S. Senate candidate (Democratic); Paxton's opponent and 4 more
Several leaked audios from a private event attended by Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton show internal frustrations with his campaign and struggles convincing voters.
Ken Paxton, Texas Republican Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate; Rep. Veronica Escobar, U.S. Representative (D-TX)
A UMass Lowell/YouGov poll released October 8, 2026, shows Republican Ken Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico each at 45% support among likely voters in the Texas US Senate race, with 7% undecided and 2% supporting Libertarian Ted Brown.
Ken Paxton, Republican Attorney General, US Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic state Representative, US Senate candidate; Ted Brown, Libertarian candidate and 2 more
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico reappeared at the Austin City Limits music festival on Friday after a 12-day absence from the campaign trail due to flu. His last in-person event was a fundraiser in New York on September 28-29; he appeared virtually on September 30 to announce his flu diagnosis.
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee, Texas Attorney General; Donald Trump, President and 1 more
President Trump posted criticism of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on Truth Social, calling him "disloyal" and "ungrateful" for filing for reelection as a Democrat after Trump pardoned him. Trump said he expected Cuellar to switch to the Republican Party following the pardon. Cuellar responded that he remains focused on serving his South Texas district.
Donald Trump, President; Henry Cuellar, U.S. Rep., Texas 28th congressional district; Tano Tijerina, Webb County judge, Cuellar's election opponent and 1 more
The Texas Senate race between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico has drawn endorsements from national political figures, sports stars, and celebrities. Both candidates have secured backing from prominent supporters.
$$250,000 for donation to Paxton joint fundraising committee
Ken Paxton, Republican Attorney General candidate; James Talarico, Democratic state Rep. candidate; Donald Trump, Endorsed Paxton and 11 more
The 2026 Texas Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico has drawn $445 million in TV, radio and digital ad spending as of October 9, with Republicans spending $326 million and Democrats $120 million. Since the May 27 primary, Republicans have spent $195 million compared to Democrats' $81 million.
$$445 million for TV, radio and digital ad spending in Texas Senate race
Ken Paxton, Republican state Attorney General, candidate for U.S. Senate; James Talarico, Democratic state Representative, candidate for U.S. Senate; Senate Leadership Fund, Republican super PAC supporting Paxton and 5 more
Texas Democratic members of Congress and national party leaders accused Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and the Democratic Governors Association of insufficient support for Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa's race against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The DGA announced $1 million in support, less than the $3 million Hinojosa allies requested.
$$10 million for funding for Hinojosa campaign
Andy Beshear, Kentucky Governor and Democratic Governors Association chair; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic nominee for Texas governor; Greg Abbott, Republican Governor of Texas and 3 more
Evan Hunt is the Democratic candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Texas' 3rd district. His campaign focuses on health care costs, immigration reform, and public school advocacy.
Evan Hunt, Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, Texas' 3rd district
Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, expressed willingness to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to address the fiscal deficit in a leaked recording from a private meeting with donors and lobbyists last month. Paxton denied planning cuts to those programs in a statement to The Texas Tribune.
$Paxton said he would back cutting taxes further and rejected tax increases to close the fiscal gap; Talarico proposes raising Social Security taxes on those earning over $400,000 annually.
Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general; Republican U.S. Senate nominee; James Talarico, Democratic opponent in Texas U.S. Senate race; Jeanne Haggerty, Lobbyist at private meeting and 3 more
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for eliminating screens in schools during an event with Moms for Liberty in Dallas on Friday, Oct. 9. Abbott highlighted a 2025 law banning cellphones in classrooms and said he wants to expand technology restrictions in the next legislative session.
$$1.5 million for funds received by Houston ISD
Greg Abbott, Texas Governor, Republican seeking reelection for third time; Gina Hinojosa, State Rep., Democratic opponent running for governor in 2026; Moms for Liberty, Group that hosted Abbott's event
The Texas Department of Public Safety failed to send counties thousands of voter registration applications and updates submitted through its online portal, dating back to October 2025, creating a backlog of at least 200,000 records. DPS blamed a software update by a third-party vendor that omitted data from daily files sent to the Texas Secretary of State's office. The agency identified the problem in late August, resolved it September 13, and resent affected records to the secretary of state's office.
$amount not specified for grants for county processing costs
Texas Department of Public Safety, agency blamed for system error causing voter registration backlog; Texas Secretary of State's Office, notified counties of backlog and offered grants for processing costs; Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Celia Israel, completed processing of 32,000 to 35,000 DPS records and 3 more
Country music legend Willie Nelson endorsed Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico's campaign announced the endorsement in a video on October 8.
Willie Nelson, Country music legend endorsing candidate; James Talarico, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican Attorney General, opponent in Senate race
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social calling on Democratic nominee James Talarico to debate Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas U.S. Senate race. Talarico responded he would debate Paxton. Paxton has declined multiple debate invitations and has not publicly responded to Trump's call.
Donald Trump, President; James Talarico, Democratic nominee for Texas U.S. Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate; Texas Attorney General and 3 more
President Trump visited San Antonio and urged voters to support Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, warning against electing Democrat James Talarico. Trump has visited Texas twice in eight days to campaign for Paxton, who trails in recent polls.
Donald Trump, President; Ken Paxton, State Attorney General, Republican Senate nominee; James Talarico, State Representative, Democratic Senate nominee and 2 more
Former President Barack Obama raised over $13 million for Democratic candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections through finance events and direct mail campaigns. Obama noted that polling shows James Talarico leading Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race.
$over $13.6 million for funds raised for Democratic candidates
Barack Obama, former President, fundraiser for Democratic candidates; Ken Martin, Democratic National Committee Chairman; James Talarico, Democratic candidate in Texas Senate race and 2 more
Ken Paxton and James Talarico are competing for endorsements from political figures, celebrities, and other public figures ahead of the Nov. 3 Texas Senate election. Paxton has President Donald Trump's endorsement and GOP establishment backing, while Talarico has support from former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate; James Talarico, Austin state representative and Democratic Senate candidate; Donald Trump, President; endorses Paxton and 5 more
Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and the Democratic Governors Association each sent $1 million to support Gina Hinojosa's campaign for Texas governor. Hinojosa had approximately $4 million on hand at the end of September.
$$1 million for campaign contribution
JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois; Democratic Governors Association, Political organization; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and 4 more