James Talarico at SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals held at the Austin Convention Center on March 8, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images / Getty Images)
AUSTIN - Texas Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) is outpacing well-known politicians in the race to gather money from donors to fuel the race for U.S. Senate.
Talarico has raised $6.2 million in the first three weeks of his campaign to challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn, setting a record for first-quarter fundraising.
Talarico breaks fundraising record
The Democrat's record-breaking haul was achieved just three weeks after announcing his intent to run. His release says the number is officially the most a Senate candidate of any party has raised in their first quarter in Texas history.
Talarico entered the race on Sept. 9. The Senate hopeful says he's received donations from over 125,000 contributors, 98 percent of which were $100 or less.
A critic of politicians supported by large PACs, Talarico has promised a grassroots campaign that will "not take a dime" of corporate money.
James Talarico announces U.S. Senate campaign for Cornyn seat
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What they're saying:
"We’re underdogs in this fight against billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians, but more than one hundred thousand people have answered the call to build a new kind of politics," said Talarico. "We shattered our goal thanks to the help of teachers, nurses, firefighters, farmers, veterans, and other working Texans fed up with our rigged system — and we did it without taking a dime of corporate PAC money. This is truly a campaign of, by, and for the people."
Talarico out-fundraises Allred
Dig deeper:
Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, Talarico's main challenger in the Democratic primary, announced $4.1 million raised so far in his campaign.
Allred entered the race on July 1.
Last election cycle, when Allred fell to Sen. Ted Cruz in the general election, the former representative took two months to match Talarico's current numbers, the Texas Tribune reports.
Texas Senate race
Big picture view:
Retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts has also announced he is running for the Democratic nomination.
Other possible opponents for Talarico could also be former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who attempted a bid for Ted Cruz's seat in 2018, and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro.
The current Republican primary race includes incumbent Cornyn, a former Texas AG and Senate minority whip, and current AG Ken Paxton, a self-proclaimed MAGA Republican.
Sen. John Cornyn, AG Ken Paxton gear up for tight race in GOP Primary
Longtime U.S. Republican Senator John Cornyn made an appearance at Austin’s annual Fed Supernova Conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Who is James Talarico?
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James Talarico and Brad Buckley spar over school funds
Reps. James Talarico and Brad Buckley spar over House Bill 2, the school funding bill. The exchange drew an outburst from the House gallery prompting Speaker Dustin Burrows to warn the gallery to remain quiet or risk being thrown out.
The backstory:
Talarico is an eighth-generation Texan, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian.
He ran for the Texas House in 2018, in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016, and has passed legislation to fund public schools, expand job opportunities for young adults, and lower the cost of child care, housing, and prescription drugs.
The Austin representative has seen online fame in the recent legislative session for his composed delivery of sharp retorts, and mix of progressive policy and Christian values.
Talarico also recently had a much-talked about interview on The Joe Rogan Experience.
The Source: Information in this report comes from James Talarico's campaign and previous FOX Texas Digital coverage.