WASHINGTON — James Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter of the year, his campaign said — the largest fundraising ever for a U.S. Senate candidate in any state for that period.
Talarico, a state representative from Austin, was a prolific fundraiser throughout the race. His latest haul is more than triple that of his opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, during the same period. Paxton brought in $18 million, by far the best Republican quarter, from July to September.
The Democrat has now raised more than $134 million since launching his campaign more than a year ago, a staggering sum that has allowed his campaign to weather a flood of Republican outside advertising money this fall.
“Local contributors across Texas are coming together to end billionaire control of our politics and lower costs for working families,” Talarico said. “With the support of everyday Texans, this grassroots movement will change this broken and corrupt political system. »
The vast majority of donations, according to Talarico’s campaign, come from small donors. Ninety-seven percent of third-quarter donations to Talarico were less than $100, his campaign said in a news release. The Democrat did not reveal how much money he had left at the end of the period, a detail that will be included in his campaign finance report due to the Federal Election Commission by midnight.
Talarico’s haul far exceeds that of former Texas Democrats, who were strong fundraisers themselves. 2024 Senate candidate Colin Allred raised $30 million during the same quarter in the previous cycle, while Beto O’Rourke raised $38 million during the same period in 2018.
