Last updated: November 2, 2026
James Talarico is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, running against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the seat John Cornyn has held since 2002. Texans vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Most polls close at 8 p.m. ET, and the last ones, in El Paso and Hudspeth counties, close at 9 p.m. ET. Talarico, 37, is a former sixth-grade teacher, a four-term state representative from the Austin area and a Presbyterian seminarian. He has raised more than $134 million, a record pace. Republicans and their allies have spent about $210 million to help Paxton, according to The Guardian. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas since 1994. Late polls range from a tie to a 7-point Talarico lead.
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Quick facts
Full name: James Dell Talarico
Born: May 17, 1989, in Round Rock, Texas (age 37)
Running for: U.S. Senate, Texas (Democratic nominee)
Opponent: Ken Paxton (Republican), Texas attorney general. Libertarian Ted Brown is also on the ballot.
Current job: Texas state representative since 2018. He represented the 52nd District until 2023 and the 50th District since then.
Education: BA in government, University of Texas at Austin (2011); master’s in education policy, Harvard (2016); MA in theological studies, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (2025), where he is now studying for a Master of Divinity
Before politics: Sixth-grade English teacher in San Antonio through Teach For America, then Central Texas executive director of the education nonprofit Reasoning Mind
Faith: Presbyterian Church (USA). His grandfather was a Baptist preacher in South Texas.
Health: Has type 1 diabetes, diagnosed in 2018
Known for: Viral speeches on faith and politics, the Ten Commandments fight in the Texas House and record fundraising
Who is James Talarico?
Talarico was born in Round Rock, north of Austin. His mother, Tamara Causey, separated from his biological father when he was seven weeks old. A few months later she married Mark Talarico, who adopted James and gave him his last name. He went to Round Rock public schools and did speech and debate at McNeil High School.
At UT Austin he organized students for tuition relief and graduated in 2011. He then joined Teach For America and taught sixth-grade English at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s west side. He has said teaching low-income students shaped his push for more school funding. Two years later he became Central Texas director of Reasoning Mind, a nonprofit that runs computer-based math programs in schools.
In 2018, at 29, he ran for an open Texas House seat in a swing district outside Austin and won. He was the youngest member of the 2019 legislature. During his campaign he walked the length of the district. After one 25-mile walk he spent five days in intensive care and learned he had type 1 diabetes. His first 30-day supply of insulin cost $684. In 2021 he helped pass a law capping insulin copays at $25 a month for people on state-regulated health plans.
Over four terms in the Republican-controlled House he was lead author of nearly 200 bills, 16 of which became law. He is best known for his speeches. In 2025 he used a procedural move to delay a bill requiring the Ten Commandments in every classroom, and videos of his remarks against it went viral. That led to an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in July 2025. He calls Christian nationalism “a cancer on our religion.”
He launched his Senate run on Sept. 9, 2025. In the March 3, 2026, primary he beat U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, 52.4% to 46.2%, avoiding a runoff. Paxton beat Cornyn in a May 26 runoff after Trump endorsed Paxton a week earlier.
Career timeline
1989: Born in Round Rock, Texas.
2011: Graduates from UT Austin. Joins Teach For America and teaches sixth-grade English at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio.
2013: Becomes Central Texas executive director of Reasoning Mind.
2016: Earns a master’s in education policy from Harvard.
2018: Elected to the Texas House at 29 and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
2019: Co-authors House Bill 3, the state’s school-finance overhaul.
2021: Helps pass the $25 insulin copay cap. Joins the Democratic walkout over a voting bill.
2022: Moves to the safely Democratic 50th District after redistricting and wins.
2025: Earns an MA from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Fights the Ten Commandments bill and goes on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Joins the August walkout over redistricting.
Sept. 9, 2025: Launches his Senate campaign.
Feb. 16, 2026: CBS doesn’t let The Late Show with Stephen Colbert air his interview. Colbert posts it on YouTube.
March 3, 2026: Wins the Democratic primary over Jasmine Crockett.
May 2026: Campaigns with Barack Obama. The Texas Supreme Court dismisses Paxton’s lawsuit seeking to remove him from the House.
Oct. 15, 2026: Reports $64 million raised in the third quarter.
Nov. 3, 2026: General election.
Notable products & projects
Insulin cap: He was a House sponsor of SB 827, which capped out-of-pocket insulin costs at $25 for a 30-day supply on state-regulated health plans.
School funding: He co-authored House Bill 3 in 2019, which raised per-student funding, paid for teacher raises and funded full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds.
“New American Dream”: His August 2026 economic plan calls for repealing tax cuts for the top 1%, closing “billionaire tax loopholes,” universal child care, paid family leave and down payment help for first-time homebuyers.
“Hold Data Centers Accountable”: A plan to end tax breaks for data centers, make them pay for grid and infrastructure costs, require closed-loop water systems and let communities approve or reject projects.
“Medicare for Y’all”: His name for a plan to let every American buy into Medicare or a public option.
Money in politics: He rejects corporate PAC money and wants to overturn Citizens United and ban super PACs.
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What he’s known for
Faith in politics: He is a Christian Democrat who argues with conservatives in religious terms. “There’s nothing Christian about Christian nationalism,” he has said.
Populism: He frames the race as a fight against billionaires and corporate power rather than left versus right.
Fundraising: His $64 million third quarter was the biggest quarter ever for a Senate candidate, beating the $57 million raised by Jaime Harrison in South Carolina in 2020. He reported that 97% of third-quarter donations were under $100.
Late-night TV fights: CBS did not let Colbert air his interview in February, citing a new reading of the FCC’s equal-time rule. The YouTube version got millions of views and he raised $2.5 million afterward. A September Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview also went to YouTube only after the FCC threatened to apply the same rule.
Border security: He calls himself a “border security Democrat” and has criticized Joe Biden’s border policy.
In the news
Nov. 3, 2026: Texas votes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Results will be posted by the Texas Secretary of State.
Nov. 1, 2026: A New York Times/Siena poll of 1,215 likely voters (Oct. 27–Nov. 1) had Talarico at 50% and Paxton at 43%. A Trafalgar Group poll had them tied at 48%. Other late polls had Talarico ahead by 4 to 6 points, including YouGov and CNN/SSRS, while Quantus had Paxton up 1.
Nov. 2, 2026: About $210 million has been spent to help Paxton, The Guardian reported. Spending by both sides has topped half a billion dollars, one of the most expensive non-presidential races in U.S. history.
Oct. 15, 2026: Talarico reported raising $64 million in the third quarter and $14.6 million cash on hand. Paxton raised $18 million and had $4.9 million on hand, Axios reported.
2026: His campaign has been targeted by deepfake videos from the Russian disinformation operation Storm-1516.
Quotes
“The real fight in this country is not left versus right. It’s top versus bottom.” — at a January 2026 primary debate, via USA Today
“Grassroots contributors from across Texas are coming together to end billionaire control over our politics and bring down costs for working families.” — on his third-quarter fundraising, October 2026
Christian nationalism is “a cancer on our religion.” — Talarico
“There’s nothing Christian about Christian nationalism.” — Talarico
Biden’s border policy “created chaos in our border communities.” — Talarico
Controversies / criticism
Class sizes: He has described teaching a class of 45 students. Texas Education Agency records showed his largest class was 30, with most between 22 and 27. His spokesman said 45 students were first placed in his room before administrators spread them out.
Quorum breaks: In 2021 he was one of the first Democrats to return during the walkout over a voting bill, and some colleagues still in Washington criticized him for it. In 2025 he joined the walkout over redistricting. Paxton sued to remove him and 12 others from the House. The Texas Supreme Court dismissed the case in May 2026, saying it lacked jurisdiction.
Out-of-state money: Republicans point to his national donor base. He has raised money from across the country, though his in-state donors are concentrated in Austin and other cities.
His opponent: Paxton was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 and acquitted by the state Senate on all charges. Cornyn made Paxton’s legal troubles a central issue in the primary. Cornyn has said he will vote for Paxton but won’t campaign for him.
Net worth & money
There is no reliable public estimate of Talarico’s net worth. Texas pays its legislators $7,200 a year. The bigger money story is his campaign. He raised more than $27 million in the first quarter of 2026, more than $30 million in the second and $64 million in the third, for more than $134 million since launch. Trump won Texas by nearly 14 points in 2024, yet Republicans and their allies have had to spend heavily to defend the seat. The Senate Leadership Fund alone committed more than $100 million to support Paxton.
FAQ
Who is James Talarico?
He is a Democratic state representative from the Austin area, a former middle school teacher and a seminary student. He is running for U.S. Senate in Texas.
Who is James Talarico running against?
Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, who beat Sen. John Cornyn in the primary runoff. Libertarian Ted Brown is also on the ballot.
When do polls close in Texas?
At 7 p.m. local time. That’s 8 p.m. ET for most of the state and 9 p.m. ET in El Paso and Hudspeth counties, which are on Mountain Time.
How old is James Talarico?
He was born on May 17, 1989, so he is 37.
What religion is James Talarico?
He is Presbyterian, a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and is studying for a Master of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
When did a Democrat last win statewide in Texas?
1994, when Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock was re-elected. The last Democrat to win a Texas Senate race was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
Further reading
James Talarico for U.S. Senate — Campaign site
Texas Secretary of State election results — Texas SoS
Who Is Elon Musk? — The Profile
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