Talarico contrasts voters’ interests with billionaire mega-donor support
At a University of Texas at Austin rally Friday, James Talarico accused Elon Musk of trying to buy influence in Republican Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign and declared, “Texas is not for sale.” Speaking in an auditorium at his alma mater before hundreds of students and other supporters, who cheered, whooped and waved campaign signs, Talarico said: “Elon Musk is trying to buy the Senate seat. We just found out that the richest man in the world is almost single-handedly bankrolling this effort to install Ken Paxton in the US Senate and stop the movement that we are building in our state.”
According to federal filings, Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which transferred the same amount to Texas PAC, a Republican super PAC supporting Paxton. The Guardian reported that Musk lives in Texas and has relocated SpaceX, Tesla, X and other businesses there.
The report included Reuters photographs by Joel Angel Juarez from a campaign rally in Temple, Texas, on Friday, showing Talarico speaking, 40 young supporters holding “Talarico” signs before a giant Texan state flag, and Talarico greeting supporters. The article’s main text separately described Friday’s rally at the University of Texas at Austin. The Guardian described Talarico’s run against Paxton as “insurgent,” called the contest one of the most closely watched 2026 midterm races that will decide control of Congress, and noted that Democrats were seeking their first statewide win since 1994. The report identified Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as “a staunch ally of Donald Trump.”
The Guardian reported that Talarico, 37, “struck his usual upbeat message on Friday” but also “pulled no punches” in denouncing Paxton. The state representative and Presbyterian seminarian wore a dark blue jacket, white open-collar shirt and blue jeans. Talarico called Paxton the most corrupt politician in the state’s history and said, “I have a legislative record; Ken Paxton has a criminal record.” The Guardian reported that Paxton had been impeached by his own party over corruption accusations and had a very public divorce.
Talarico framed the election this way: “This election is about whether you want a senator who puts money in your pocket or who puts money in their own. This election is about whether you want a senator who is for Texas or for himself. This election is about whether you want senator who serves you or serves their billionaire mega donors.”
Talarico said Paxton had the “ultimate mega donor” in Musk and framed his communication allegation conditionally: “In all likelihood, if you’ve seen an attack ad on your screens, that was Elon. If you’ve gotten lies in your mailbox, that was Elon. If you received a text message saying scary things about me with scary black and white photos, that was Elon too.” Speaking against a giant Texan state flag and 40 young supporters holding “Talarico” signs, Talarico said his movement was funded by 1.3 million individuals while Paxton was funded by “one dude.”
The Guardian set the scene by writing, “In a state where data centres have become an incendiary issue,” before quoting Talarico: “Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas. But on November 3rd, we are going to deliver a crystal clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale.”
The Guardian reported that Talarico had offset the outside-spending disadvantage with grassroots fundraising. His campaign said it had raised $64 million from July through September, more than triple Paxton’s total, with 97% of donations under $100 each. At the rally, Talarico said super PACs and “billionaire mega-donors” were spending $200 million in what he described as the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history to defeat his grassroots campaign. “Big money is powerful, but it is nothing compared to people power,” he said, invoking biblical imagery that compared his supporters with “the slingshot” David used to defeat Goliath.
The campaign entered its final stretch with Talarico holding a narrow polling advantage. The RealClearPolitics average for polls conducted Oct. 6 to 19 put him 1.8 percentage points ahead, while an Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey released Thursday found 48% of voters supported Talarico and 46% favored Paxton. Early voting began Oct. 19, giving both campaigns an immediate test of their ability to mobilize supporters, and Talarico voted earlier Friday.
Supporters at the rally expressed growing frustration with incumbent Republican officials such as Paxton and optimism that Talarico’s message could signal a new political era for the Lone Star State. Alina Anil, a 19-year-old University of Texas student who had already cast her ballot, said she attended to see Talarico in person and demonstrate her support. “We’ve been red for a long time and nothing has really come out of it,” Anil said. “As a student, I don’t think there’s been a lot of changes in Texas. We need some change and James Talarico seems promising. He was a teacher before, so I have faith in that and I have faith in him.”
Dakota Walker, 31, a pediatric physical therapist, arrived in a custom T-shirt reading “Talafrico: Talarico refreshing for Texas,” styled after the Topo-Chico brand of sparkling mineral water. “What’s not to like about him, what’s not to love about him, honestly?” Walker said. “He has morals, he has values, he’s an overall good human being and I think we need a drastic change.” Walker also said: “I have to spend so much of my time fighting for my kids, making sure that they get what they need when a family with a child with a disability or different abilities shouldn’t have to do that. I know we need healthcare reform and he is very big on that.”
Texas Democrats have had their hopes dashed before, notably when former congressman Beto O’Rourke lost a race to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 by less than 3 percentage points. Asked what a Democratic statewide victory would mean, Walker replied: “Oh man, I’ll probably cry, honestly. We need a lot of change and I feel like it’s time for a new era.” Patrick Pearson, 46, an assistive technology professional, said he wanted to back Talarico because of his commitment to policy change. “From everything I’ve read about him and heard, I think he sounds really awesome,” Pearson said. “He’s actually trying to make a change and has a very positive message.”
The Guardian said the rally capped a turbulent month in what it called “America’s biggest battleground state.” Talarico fell ill with the flu at the end of September and was not seen in public for nine days. At a rally in San Antonio, Texas, Donald Trump claimed without evidence that “Tala-freako,” his nickname for Talarico, was vegan and had fallen ill because he tried eating meat for political purposes. The claim quickly fueled an online rumor that Talarico had checked into a mental health facility in Ohio, which The Guardian said was comprehensively debunked.
Back on the campaign trail, Talarico set out on a “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” tour of Texas and held a CNN town hall with skeptical Republicans and independent voters. Paxton launched an 18-day bus tour of Texas aimed at conservative voters, with the slogan “Come and Take It,” an attack on what he called the far left. Republicans sought to tie Talarico with positions on transgender issues that had proved potent in conservative campaigning. The Wall Street Journal also published a video showing Paxton celebrating New Year’s Eve in Dubai with Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, two U.S. fugitives indicted in Illinois on healthcare-fraud charges. The Wall Street Journal reported that Ahmed donated $190,000 to Paxton, including $25,000 after his indictment.