Democratic and Republican candidates released third-quarter campaign fundraising reports for the 2026 midterm elections. Democrat James Talarico's Texas Senate campaign raised $60 million between July and September, while Republican Ken Paxton's campaign raised about $10 million in the same period. Elon Musk's super PAC has heavily backed Paxton's campaign.
$$60 million for campaign funds raised, third quarter 2026
James Talarico, Democrat candidate for Texas Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for Texas Senate; Elon Musk, Tech billionaire and super PAC backer of Republican candidates
Elon Musk donated $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in September 2026, which transferred the money to Texas PAC to finance advertising supporting Republican Ken Paxton in his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.
$$158 million for donation to Senate Leadership Fund
Elon Musk, Donor; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate and 3 more
A Tarrant County jury awarded Ronny and Mandy McCoy $21.6 million after finding NAE Enterprises liable for construction defects in their home. The defects included improperly installed plumbing vents in the attic that allowed sewer gas to circulate inside, along with mold and moisture problems. The jury found NAE Enterprises responsible for negligence, breach of implied warranty, and knowing and intentional violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
$$21.6 million for judgment
Ronny McCoy, plaintiff; Mandy McCoy, plaintiff; NAE Enterprises, defendant, contractor and 5 more
The 2026 State Fair of Texas runs through October 18, entering its final weekend with concerts, food, and attractions at Fair Park in Dallas. The 140th season closes Sunday night.
$$25 for adult gate admission
State Fair of Texas, organizer; Big Tex, fair mascot
County Judge Tim O'Hare delivered his annual State of the County address, touting lower taxes and public safety efforts ahead of early voting. He is seeking his second term as county judge and faces Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons.
$County commissioners lowered the county tax rate for the fourth consecutive year, saving property owners an estimated $1 per year on their tax bills. [1]
Tim O'Hare, County Judge, Tarrant County; Alisa Simmons, County Commissioner, Tarrant County, Democratic nominee for County Judge; Fort Worth Chamber, Host of State of the County address
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a tailgate Friday evening at the Texas Governor's Mansion before Saturday's football game between Texas and Florida. The event featured remarks from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and UT leaders, and the two governors made a bet on the game's outcome.
$1 liter Dr Pepper, 1 gallon Blue Bell ice cream, 1 bottle Garrison Brothers bourbon for wager on football game
Greg Abbott, Texas Governor; Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor; Kevin Eltife, Chairman, University of Texas System Board of Regents and 3 more
Harris County officials held a press conference to call for expanded local authority to regulate data center development. The Commissioners Court passed a motion requiring county departments to report on oversight options and identify statutory changes needed for the next legislative session.
$eight gigawatts by 2029, plus approximately four additional gigawatts afterward for expected data center electricity demand addition
Abbie Kamin, Harris County Attorney; Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner; Adrian Garcia, Harris County Commissioner and 1 more
At a packed rally in Texas, Democrat James Talarico compared his U.S. Senate campaign to David fighting Goliath, facing over $158 million in outside spending by Republican leadership and Elon Musk supporting Republican candidate Ken Paxton.
$over $158 million for outside spending
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, state representative; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate candidate; Elon Musk, Outside spending supporter for Paxton and 1 more
Tesla unveiled a next-generation Roadster electric sports car with rocket-powered thrusters at a SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. The vehicle performed midair maneuvers including flipping, driving upside down, and flying over other vehicles during the demonstration.
$$50,000 for roadster Performance version reservation payment
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX; Lars Moravy, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering; Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla Chief Designer and 2 more
Online shopping platform Temu agreed to settle a Texas lawsuit by paying $3 million and accepting data privacy restrictions. The settlement requires Temu to store Texas residents' personal data on American-owned and controlled servers in the US and conduct annual independent product safety testing.
$$3 million for settlement payment
Temu, online shopping platform defendant; Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General (R)
The Texas Department of Public Safety is seeking new information about the February 7, 1995 murder of Celia Loya, 30, in El Paso. The reward for tips leading to an arrest has been increased to $6,000.
$$6,000 for reward for information leading to arrest
Texas Department of Public Safety, seeking tips; El Paso Police Department, investigating agency; Texas Rangers, investigating agency and 1 more
Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was released from the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville on Friday morning after serving seven years of a ten-year sentence for the 2018 murder of Botham Jean. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted her parole on October 1, 2026.
$nearly $100 million for civil judgment ordered by jury against Guyger
Amber Guyger, Former Dallas police officer, convicted of murder; Botham Jean, Murder victim; Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, Granted parole and 1 more
Comal County Commissioners approved a $214.02 million budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and set a property tax rate of $0.305015 per $100 valuation on September 17. The rate is higher than the no-new-revenue rate and is projected to generate $1.86 million in additional revenue.
$The adopted tax rate is projected to generate an additional $1.86 million in property tax revenue, a 1.7% increase over the previous year. [1]
Comal County Commissioners, approved the budget and tax rate; Kirsten Hoyt, Comal County Judge; Kevin Webb, Comal County Precinct 3 Commissioner
Democratic candidate Ron Nirenberg and Republican Patrick Von Dohlen faced off in the only debate of the Bexar County Judge race Thursday night. Nirenberg, the former San Antonio mayor, defeated incumbent Peter Sakai in the Democratic primary by nearly 25 points and is favored in the blue county. Von Dohlen, a conservative activist, was the only Republican candidate.
$$2.6 billion for bexar County budget for fiscal year 2027
Ron Nirenberg, Democratic candidate for Bexar County Judge; Patrick Von Dohlen, Republican candidate for Bexar County Judge; Peter Sakai, Incumbent Bexar County Judge
Candidates for Texas House and Bell County offices debated education savings accounts, a proposed hospital district, and county tax breaks for data centers at a LULAC forum in Harker Heights less than three weeks before the November 3 election.
$50% for 10 years for county property tax abatement for data center development
Brad Buckley, State Rep. District 54, Republican; Dawn Richardson, District 54 candidate, Democratic, retired educator; Hillary Hickland, State Rep. District 55, Republican and 4 more
Election Day for Texas 2026 midterm elections is set for November 3. Early voting runs October 19-30. The last day to register for early voting was October 5. Voters will choose candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, Congress, state legislature, county offices and school boards, and will vote on propositions and tax measures.
$West Oso ISD ad valorem tax rate increase of 8.95% in M&O revenue; Skidmore-Tynan ISD ad valorem tax rate increase of 8.98% in M&O revenue; sales and use tax of 1.25% adoption in an unspecified city location; Nueces County Emergency Services District No. 1 considers local sales and use tax not to exceed 2%.
James Talarico, U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, U.S. Senate candidate; Greg Abbott, Governor candidate and 3 more
Texas legislators have raised the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $140,000 over a decade to reduce property taxes. School districts say state reimbursement through "hold harmless" agreements does not fully compensate for lost tax revenue, leaving funding gaps.
$State reimbursement to school districts for property tax exemptions does not fully compensate lost revenues under current hold-harmless agreements, leaving districts with funding gaps.
Paul Bettencourt, Houston-area state senator, former Harris County tax assessor-collector; Johnny Hill, Deputy superintendent for business operations, Plano ISD; Mike Morath, Texas Education Commissioner and 1 more
Avelo Airlines announced two new nonstop routes to North Dallas/McKinney National Airport: one from West Palm Beach beginning Dec. 17, and an expansion of Las Vegas service from four to six weekly flights beginning Dec. 16.
$$69 for introductory one-way fares
Avelo Airlines, airline announcing new service; Andrew Levy, founder and CEO of Avelo Airlines
El Paso voters will decide two local district court races and a statewide appeals court race in November 2026. The 120th District Court features a Republican incumbent seeking re-election against a Democrat challenger. The 168th District Court seat is vacant. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals will hold its first election since creation in 2023.
$$193,000 for base salary for district court judge
Ben Ivey, Republican incumbent, 120th District Court judge; Chris Anchondo, Democrat challenger for 120th District Court; Gov. Greg Abbott, appointed current Fifteenth Court of Appeals justices