Story perspectives

Paxton and Talarico Tied 49% in Texas Senate Race

By Drooid · Oct 25, 2026, 2:26 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Competing Faith Coalitions

Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are contesting the Texas U.S. Senate seat in the November 3, 2026 election.
Each campaign has built a separate faith coalition—Paxton’s “Pastors for Paxton” and Talarico’s “Faithful Texans for Talarico”—showcasing competing Christian visions.
U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.
Talarico’s campaign has raised over $134 million and recruited more than 60,000 volunteers.
A Fox News poll (Oct. 15-19) found Paxton and Talarico tied at 49 % of voters.

Left

Musk Texas Takeover

Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are contesting the Texas U.S. Senate seat on November 3, 2026.
Talarico warned Elon Musk is trying to buy Texas after companies gave $158 million to Senate Leadership Fund, which funneled it to a PAC backing Paxton.
Neil Bush endorsed Talarico, citing Paxton’s impeachment and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Talarico raised $64 million July-September, 97% under $100, surpassing Paxton’s fundraising.

Blindspot

Elon Musk’s companies contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which then transferred the same amount to a Republican super PAC backing Ken Paxton, according to the left-leaning sources.
Within this story’s sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

On June 24 2010 the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision struck down limits on corporate election spending, paving the way for super-PACs and a surge in independent expenditures that reached $4.5 billion between 2010 and 2020. That financing boom now fuels the 2026 Texas Senate contest, where Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico each rely on multi-million-dollar super-PAC support.

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Competing Faith Coalitions

Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are contesting the Texas U.S. Senate seat in the November 3, 2026 election.
Each campaign has built a separate faith coalition—Paxton’s “Pastors for Paxton” and Talarico’s “Faithful Texans for Talarico”—showcasing competing Christian visions.
U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.
Talarico’s campaign has raised over $134 million and recruited more than 60,000 volunteers.
A Fox News poll (Oct. 15-19) found Paxton and Talarico tied at 49 % of voters.

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