About this race
No current officeholder is running — the seat will have a new winner. Forecasters say it’s too close to call — one of the most competitive races of the year. Ken Paxton, a Republican, shows a record of donations linked to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, but the exact amount is still being confirmed.
Key issues in Texas
Major issues facing Texas, based on 2025–2026 reporting. Compare them with what each candidate says they focus on below.
- Affordability and rising prices — Rising prices top voter concerns, with groceries, healthcare and gasoline the most-cited household budget pressures.
- Electricity costs and grid — Voters want lower power bills amid ongoing questions about grid reliability and winterization after extreme weather.
- Water infrastructure — Rapid growth and recurring drought push leaders to fund new water supply and infrastructure projects.
- School voucher rollout — The new $1 billion Education Freedom Accounts program drew over 270,000 applications against limited capacity.
- Education outcomes — Voters broadly agree students should read and do math at grade level, with school performance under scrutiny.
- Immigration and border — Border security ranks among voters' top issues, shaping debate over state enforcement spending and policy.
Candidates & funding
James Talarico Democrat Nominee
Where the money comes from
FEC campaign finance data through Sep 30, 2026. Campaign dollars, by source.
| Ken Paxton R | James Talarico D | |
|---|---|---|
| Raised | $9.2M | $68.6M |
| Individuals | $9M98% | $65.6M96% |
| PACs & parties | $220K2% | $348K1% |
| Self-funded | $0 | $0 |
| Other | $9K0% | $2.6M4% |
| AIPAC-linked* | — | — |
| Outside spending† | — | — |
* AIPAC-linked money is already counted in the rows above — it flags the pro-Israel share, not extra money.
† Independent spending on ads for or against a candidate. It never goes to their campaign.
“Individuals” covers both small-dollar (under $200) and large donors.
Who are the biggest donors?
Every donor ranked by how much they gave, from the candidate’s own FEC filings — individuals, PACs, and party committees all in one list. Expand a candidate to see theirs, then tap any name to learn more about the donor.
Why are so many gifts exactly $10,000? That’s the legal maximum a PAC can give one candidate for the whole cycle — $5,000 for the primary plus $5,000 for the general — so many PACs give the max. Individuals can give up to $3,500 per election.
Ken Paxton 5099 donors
- Party committee$62K
- Individual$28K
- Individual$21K
- Individual$21K
- Individual$21K
- Individual$17K
- Individual$16K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
Showing the 50 biggest of 5099 donors. The other 5049 gave $6.6M combined.
Plus $1.9M from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.
James Talarico 50898 donors
- Individual$24K
- Individual$24K
- Individual$23K
- Individual$23K
- Individual$23K
- Individual$22K
- Individual$22K
- Individual$20K
- Individual$19K
- Individual$18K
- Individual$18K
- Individual$18K
- Individual$18K
- Individual$18K
- Individual$18K
- Individual$16K
- Individual$16K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$15K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
- Individual$14K
Showing the 50 biggest of 50898 donors. The other 50848 gave $28.5M combined.
Plus $36.7M from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.
These figures come from the candidate’s own itemized FEC reports (2026 cycle, through the coverage date above), with amendments applied and refunds netted. Joint fundraising transfers are left out of the ranking: they’re pass-throughs, and the individual donations behind them are listed above. Bank interest, vendor refunds, and other non-donation receipts are excluded. Donor names are as reported — the same person can appear twice if their name was recorded differently. Independent spending on ads is never included here — see the Outside spending column.
Related news
October 12, 2026
GOP triage: Senate Leadership Fund pulls out of North Carolina, pours $10M+ into Kansas and $5M into South Carolina
With three weeks to Election Day, the Senate Leadership Fund has suspended its North Carolina ad reservations and redirected at least $10 million into Kansas, where Roger Marshall faces an unexpectedly competitive challenge, plus $5 million to boost Darline Graham in South Carolina. The group has spent more than $100 million in Texas backing Ken Paxton, while the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. super PAC fuels a major GOP cash advantage and American Bridge has put $20M+ into South Carolina, Kansas, Florida, and Mississippi for Democrats.
Source: CNN →
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