Talarico Surpasses All Senate Candidates in Third Quarter Fundraising
James Talarico raises $64 million in third quarter, setting new fundraising record for Senate races.
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Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico has raised a record $64 million in the third quarter of 2026, surpassing all previous Senate candidates in fundraising history. This marks the largest third-quarter haul in Senate campaign history, according to Politico. Talarico’s total fundraising since launching his campaign in September 2025 now exceeds $134 million, with over 1.3 million donors contributing.
The Texas Senate race has become the most expensive Senate contest in the 2026 midterms, with ad spending and total costs surpassing $501 million. Republican PACs have spent over $200 million to support Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with significant funds in other red states. Despite this surge in spending, polls show Republicans struggling to fend off their Democratic opponents.
Former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke raised a then-record $38.1 million in the third quarter when he ran against Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. O’Rourke lost to Cruz by a two-point margin, 50.9% to 48.3%. Talarico currently leads by an average of 2.6 points as of Thursday, according to RealClearPolling.
Talarico has made headlines for his progressive views, including stating that God is ‘non-binary,’ expressing love for transgender children, and claiming that the biblical account of Jesus’ conception justified abortion. His campaign has also sparked controversy, with former Catholic voter confronting him over his abortion stance.
Other Democratic Senate nominees also saw significant fundraising success. Former Democratic Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola raised around $17 million in the third quarter, while former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper raised $19.5 million. Democratic Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton raised $10.6 million in that time frame.
Dems putting up some big Q3 fundraising numbers $64M for Talarico in Q3 per @adamwren $17M for Peltola $10.6M for Hamilton $19.5M for Cooper per @erinpdoherty Candidates get better ad rates, so this helps Dems be competitive against big GOP super PAC spending
The Senate Leadership Fund, the top campaign arm for Senate Republicans, planned to spend $14 million in Kansas, where Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall was tied with Hamilton in the polls as of Thursday. Voters in the state last elected a Democratic senator in November 1932. The campaign arm also spent $5 million on the South Carolina Senate race.
Republicans paused spending in North Carolina and Georgia, as their candidates were trailing in the polls. Democratic PACs pulled spending in those races because their candidates held comfortable leads.
Source: Daily Caller
