State Rep. James Talarico raised $6.2 million in the first three weeks of his U.S. Senate campaign, his team announced Wednesday, surpassing fellow Democrat Colin Allred’s $4.1 million total collected over three months.
As reported by The Texas Tribune, the early fundraising haul positions Talarico as a formidable contender in the Democratic primary to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2026. Talarico’s campaign reported that the donations came from over 125,000 individual contributions across all 50 states and more than 230 Texas counties, with 98% of donations under $100. Public-school teachers made up the largest donor group.
According to his campaign, it’s the biggest fundraising total any Texas Senate candidate has raised in the opening quarter of their campaign, Democrat or Republican.
By comparison, Allred, who launched his campaign in July, reported an average donation of $32 from more than 100,000 contributions. His campaign, like Talarico’s, has declined corporate PAC donations.
Talarico’s early total matches what Allred raised over two months during his 2024 run and outpaces Beto O’Rourke’s initial fundraising in his 2018 race against Sen. Ted Cruz.
Despite the strong start, a Texas Politics Project poll conducted in August, before his campaign launch, found 42% of Democrats did not know Talarico or had no opinion about him.
Talarico launched his bid on Sept. 9, joining Allred and retired astronaut Terry Virts in the Democratic primary. Allred, a former Dallas congressman, previously raised nearly $100 million in his 2024 campaign but lost to Cruz by nearly nine points.
The Texas Republican primary is also shaping up to be competitive, with Cornyn challenging Attorney General Ken Paxton. Their latest fundraising numbers had not yet been announced as of Wednesday, according to The Texas Tribune.
