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James Talarico reports raising nearly $7 million, continuing cash influx to U.S. Senate bid

by Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune
January 2, 2026

State Rep. James Talarico raised nearly $7 million for his U.S. Senate run during the latest fundraising quarter, increasing his total haul to $13 million since launching his bid, his campaign said Friday.

Talarico established himself as a prolific fundraiser after raising $6.2 million in the first three weeks of his campaign, which far outpaced other recent Democrats who sought statewide office. Democrats have not won statewide office in Texas since 1994.

The figure released Friday — $6.8 million worth of contributions — suggests the money momentum continues for Talarico, a former public school teacher who has represented a district that includes North Austin and parts of Pflugerville and Round Rock in the Texas House since 2018. Most of Talarico’s donations — 98% — were for $100 or less and none came from corporate PACs, according to the campaign.

It is not clear how much of the money Talarico has already spent. All candidates for federal office must file a finance update with the election commission by the end of the month.

“With the help of more than 215,000 neighbors, we are building a campaign to win the primary, win the general, and deliver for working people across Texas,” Talarico said in a statement, referring to the number of individual contributors.

A spokesperson for his primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, did not immediately return a request for comment. Crockett, who filed to run for Senate later than Talarico, is also a prolific fundraiser.

A poll released last month had Crockett leading Talarico by 8 percentage points.

Talarico’s early cash influx gave him an upper hand over former U.S. Rep. Collin Allred, who took two months to raise as much money during his unsuccessful challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz last cycle. Allred left the Senate race in December and pivoted to run for the Dallas-based 33rd Congressional District.

On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is facing the biggest challenge of his career in a three-way contest to be the GOP nominee as Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, try to unseat the incumbent. As of October, Cornyn carried a big financial advantage over Paxton and Hunt.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

President Donald Trump made a stunning claim Monday evening about who's in charge in Venezuela after he ordered Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro to be captured in a pre‑dawn U.S. special operations raid on Caracas.

Maduro was taken into custody on Saturday and flown to New York to face narco‑terrorism and related drug charges. The mission used elite troops that leveled Venezuela’s air defenses and blacked out parts of the capital. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized at a military complex after a brief firefight.

The surprise ouster left swirling questions about who would come to power in the country. Speaking to NBC News, Trump delivered a shocking response.

Kristen Welker asked Trump who will be "in charge" of Venezuela, if it was going to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, or White House advisor Stephen Miller.

"Are those the top three people would you say, sir?" she asked.

"Yeah, among the top people ... JD will be involved also," he added.

When asked who would be the "top person if there is one," Trump replied, "Me."

Also in the interview, Trump said he "get[s] the sense that Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's vice president who was sworn in as interim president on Monday, is "cooperating" with U.S. officials.

"They need help. And I get the sense that you know she loves her country and she wants her country to survive," he said.