Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Texas news, down to the facts.

Early voting is open through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3, 14 days away. Elections

Elections

Texas Senate race ad spending tops $500 million with three weeks until election

The Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico has reached over $500 million in ad spending as the election approaches. GOP leaders including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson are campaigning for Paxton, while Talarico has returned to campaigning after illness.

Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 13, 2026
Sources
Reported by 3 outlets

Taxes and money

The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.

  • Ad spendingover $500 million2 Who pays or receives it: Democrats and Republicans
  • Ad spendingmore than two to one1 Who pays or receives it: Paxton outspending Talarico

Does this affect you?

Coming up

  • Tuesday, November 3, 2026. 2026 midterm election including Texas Senate race (Texas)2

Who's involved

  • Ken PaxtonRepublican candidate for Texas Senate
  • James TalaricoDemocrat candidate for Texas Senate
  • JD VanceVice President, campaigning for Paxton
  • Mike JohnsonHouse Speaker, campaigning for Paxton

The facts

  • Ad spending in the Texas Senate race topped $500 million.2
  • The 2026 midterm election is three weeks away from October 13.2
  • Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson traveled to Texas to rally support for Paxton.1
  • Talarico returned to the campaign trail after illness to challenge Paxton to a debate.1

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

  • CNN Paxton is deeply unpopular with Republicans2
  • Fox Business Paxton leads in ad spending, outspending Talarico by more than two to one1

How they headlined it

The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.

  • Texas Senate race ad spending soaring as GOP outspends Democrats

    Fox Business

  • TX Senate race tops $500M in ad spending as GOP scrambles to save Paxton

    CNN

  • Texas US Senate race passes $500M in ad spending

    KVUE

Sources

Outlets: 1 left-leaning, 1 not rated Only left-leaning outlets reported this Who's covering Texas →

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.

  1. Texas Senate race ad spending soaring as GOP outspends Democrats Fox Business Not rated, October 13, 2026
  2. TX Senate race tops $500M in ad spending as GOP scrambles to save Paxton CNN Lean Left, October 13, 2026

Also reported by KVUE.

This sheet was written by AI from the sources above and adds nothing they don't state. Read the originals for full context.

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