Thomas J. Henry, a prominent attorney who donated more than $600,000 to a super PAC supporting Republican Ken Paxton in the primary, announced his endorsement of Democratic opponent James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race. Talarico and Paxton are in the final stretch before election day, with early voting underway through October 30.
Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 22, 2026
Sources
Reported by 2 outlets
Taxes and money
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Super PAC donation to support Paxton in primary$600,0002Who pays or receives it: Thomas J. Henry
Super PAC donations to support Paxton in primary$646,1072Who pays or receives it: Thomas J. Henry Law
Super PAC funding for Paxton in general election$158 million1Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Coming up
Friday, October 30, 2026. Early voting period ends1
Who's involved
Thomas J. HenryProminent attorney and founder of Thomas J. Henry Law; major donor to Paxton super PAC; endorser of Talarico
James TalaricoDemocratic U.S. Senate candidate; state House member
Ken PaxtonRepublican U.S. Senate candidate; state attorney general
Elon MuskSuper PAC funder supporting Paxton
The facts
Henry donated more than $600,000 to a super PAC supporting Paxton in the primary.2
Henry's law firm made two donations totaling $646,107 to Lone Star Liberty PAC supporting Paxton.2
Musk has pumped $158 million into a super PAC boosting Paxton.1
Early voting in the Senate race runs through Oct. 30.1
Talarico has held a steady but narrow lead in polling.1
If Talarico wins, he would be the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas in 32 years.2
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
James Talarico If you have seen an attack ad, received lies in mailbox, or text message, that was Elon; Ken Paxton is funded by one dude.1
Ken Paxton Talarico wants to transition our kids, transition Texas off oil and gas, and is out of touch with Texas.1
Thomas J. Henry Talarico has a balanced, straightforward, and honest approach to issues affecting Texas.2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
The final sprint: How Ken Paxton and James Talarico are framing their closing arguments
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general since 2015, won the Republican primary runoff in May 2026 by defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn. He faces Democrat James Talarico in the November 3, 2026 general election for U.S. Senate.
Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican U.S. Senate nominee; James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee; John Cornyn, Incumbent Republican U.S. senator defeated by Paxton in primary runoff and 1 more
An Associated Press analysis found early voting surging in states expected to decide U.S. Senate control. In Texas, early in-person and mail voting is up 74% compared with the same point in 2022.
Governor Greg Abbott held a campaign event in Richmond on his "Let's Roll" Get-Out-The-Vote tour, accompanied by Representative Matt Morgan. Early voting was underway.
Greg Abbott, Governor; Matt Morgan, Representative; Gina Hinojosa, mentioned in Abbott's statement
Voters at the Leon Valley Conference Center in Bexar County experienced delays during early voting after a ballot scanner jammed. The scanner, which can handle about 2,000 votes, jammed at around 1,200 votes. Waits reached up to two hours as poll workers addressed the issue.
Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew, Elections administrator; Roberto Flores, Voter; Cathy Hazzard, Voter and 1 more
In a Fox News poll released two weeks before the Texas Senate election, Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are tied at 49% among likely voters. Paxton has gained ground since September, when Talarico led by two percentage points.
Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate, Texas attorney general; James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate
State Rep. Shelley Luther and state Sen. Brent Hagenbuch visited Denison to hear from voters and county leaders during early voting for the midterm elections. More than 10,000 Grayson County residents cast ballots in the first two days of early voting.
Shelley Luther, State Representative, up for re-election; Brent Hagenbuch, State Senator; Mark Ewig, Grayson County Democratic voter
San Jacinto County Democrat Party Chair Benita Malone raised concerns at a county commissioners meeting about Elections Administrator Cheri Walker's scheduling of mandated training for election judges, saying two Democratic judges could not attend and were not offered makeup sessions, and stating there was insufficient budget for Democrat judges during early voting.
Benita Malone, San Jacinto County Democrat Party Chair; Cheri Walker, Elections Administrator; Fritz Faulkner, County Judge and 2 more
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a campaign event in Midland while seeking reelection. He urged West Texas Republicans to vote during early voting, citing historically low regional turnout despite high voter registration. Patrick defended the oil and gas industry and criticized proposed Democratic policies on energy.
$$28 billion for State reserve fund
Dan Patrick, Texas Lt. Governor, candidate for reelection; Kevin Sparks, State Senator; Vikki Goodwin, Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor