Texas State Representative James Talarico has made headlines after announcing that he raised an impressive $6.2 million within the first three weeks of his Senate campaign.
This fundraising achievement is particularly notable as it surpasses the early fundraising efforts recently reported by other Democratic candidates aiming for statewide offices.
Talarico’s substantial total positions him as a major contender in the Democratic primary against former U.S. Representative Colin Allred, who managed to raise $4.1 million over the past three months since the launch of his campaign on July 1.
For context, during the previous election cycle, Allred took two months to reach the same $6.2 million that Talarico secured in just three weeks.
Notably, Beto O’Rourke, who had set high fundraising standards during his 2018 campaign against U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, needed nine months to achieve this milestone.
According to Talarico’s campaign, his contributions came from over 125,000 individual donors spanning more than 230 Texas counties and all 50 states.
An overwhelming 98% of these contributions were for $100 or less, with teachers forming the largest group of contributors.
This achievement marks the highest amount ever raised by a Senate candidate of either party in Texas during the first quarter of their campaign, as stated by Talarico’s campaign team.
In a statement, Talarico emphasized the grassroots nature of his campaign, saying, “We’re underdogs in this fight against billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians, but more than one hundred thousand people have answered the call to build a new kind of politics. This is truly a campaign of, by, and for the people.”
Launched on September 9, Talarico’s campaign now stands alongside Allred and retired astronaut Terry Virts in the Democratic primary race.
Talarico, a former public school teacher, has gained a reputation for being a deeply Christian Democrat and has attracted attention for his vocal debates with Republican lawmakers both in the Texas House and on cable news.
In addition, he has actively criticized the influence of far-right megadonors in Texas politics and has pledged to reject contributions from corporate PACs in his pursuit of the Senate seat.
Despite his early success in fundraising, a recent poll conducted by The Texas Politics Project indicated that 42% of Democrats were unfamiliar with Talarico or had no opinion of him prior to his campaign launch.
Federal candidates are required to disclose their campaign fundraising and spending from July through September by October 15, but many campaigns announce preliminary figures ahead of filing official reports with the Federal Election Commission.
In contrast to Talarico’s remarkable fundraising, Allred’s campaign utilizes a different strategy, reporting more than 100,000 donations that averaged $32 each, with no corporate PAC donations noted.
Allred’s campaign manager, Dan Morrocco, stated, “Colin’s campaign is powered by working people, not special interests. This is a grassroots movement with real staying power.”
In his 2024 campaign, Allred raised nearly $100 million, making it the most financially intensive Senate race in the nation; however, he ultimately lost to Cruz by nearly nine percentage points, while President Donald Trump won the state by almost 14 points.
This loss came two years after Beto O’Rourke was defeated by Governor Greg Abbott, despite fundraising $3 million more than his Republican opponent.
Allred’s current campaign is essentially restarting from scratch, having reported only $55,000 on hand at the end of June.
Talarico’s fundraising prowess was somewhat under wraps prior to this initial phase, as state lawmakers typically see lower fundraising numbers compared to those running for statewide offices.
Additionally, Talarico was prohibited from raising funds during the first half of this year due to a fundraising moratorium placed on Texas lawmakers during the legislative session.
Even before his Senate bid, Talarico had mentioned over $1 million available in his state account.
While federal regulations prevent him from directly transferring those funds to his Senate campaign, he can refund the money to donors and coordinate efforts to have them contribute to his federal account.
Individual donors are allowed to give up to $3,500 to a federal campaign for each election.
Talarico had previously announced that he raised upwards of $1 million in small-dollar donations within the first 12 hours of launching his Senate campaign, effectively matching the funds in his state account.
On the Republican side, incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn and his challenger, Attorney General Ken Paxton, have yet to announce their third-quarter fundraising totals.
In the previous quarter, Paxton raised $2.9 million, while Cornyn reported approximately $2.7 million in direct fundraising and transfers from his joint fundraising committee.
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