Talarico rallies Texas ahead of 2026 Senate election
Democrat James Talarico holds dueling rallies across Texas against Republican Ken Paxton, with polls showing him slightly ahead in a race that could determine Senate control.
What to know
- Talarico leads Paxton by 2-5 points in most polls in what is the closest Texas Senate race in a generation; a Democratic win would be the first in Texas since 1988 and could shift Senate control.
- Trump visited Lubbock on October 27 to support Paxton while Talarico held a competing rally blocks away, drawing thousands to both events and signaling how contested the reliably red state has become.
- Talarico has focused on mobilizing urban and suburban Democratic voters while attempting to cut GOP margins in rural counties that have long been Republican strongholds.
- The race reflects broader Democratic momentum driven by dissatisfaction over cost of living, data center proliferation in rural Texas, and school funding, with urban Democratic turnout significantly outpacing 2022 levels.
The dispute Whether strong rally crowds and Democratic urban turnout numbers indicate genuine competitive momentum or will fail to translate to statewide victory as in previous cycles. · positions read across 5 posts and comments
Rally attendance alone does not guarantee electoral success; voters must actually vote.
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“Who spends hrs. Attending rallys and then skip the 30 min. to vote. "Smells like orc mischief to me"”
SpeedyEight · Reddit ↗
Democrats should maximize effort through volunteering and mobilization to ensure victory.
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“Don't just vote, volunteer. Let's not leave anything undone we could have done.”
Caulif1ow3r · Reddit ↗
“If Talarico wins, it would give Democrats their first win in a U.S. Senate race in reliably red Texas since 1988 and could help decide party control of the Senate.”
Newsweek, Publication · Newsweek · Oct 27
James Talarico Democratic U.S. Senate candidate
Ken Paxton Republican U.S. Senate candidate / Texas Attorney General
Donald Trump U.S. President / campaign surrogate
Elon Musk Billionaire donor
How it unfolded 7 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideospostscomments
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Talarico accuses Musk and wealthy donors of trying to 'buy' Texas Senate race
In his final rally on the eve of the election, Talarico accused billionaire Elon Musk and other wealthy donors of attempting to buy the Texas Senate race as he sought to defeat Ken Paxton.
“accusing billionaire Elon Musk and other wealthy donors of trying to buy the Texas Senate race…”
— James Talarico -
first by WNWO, 11d ago
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V
From AP: James Talarico speaks at a rally in Texas on the eve of midterm elections https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=IDYvWBkdY5 M&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon * VSN-GDPM c1996 # news # SupportIndependentMedia # vsn
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Talarico speaks as 'underdog' in final Austin rally
On the eve of the midterm elections, James Talarico and his Republican rival Ken Paxton held their final rallies. Talarico characterized himself and his supporters as 'underdogs' in the race.
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1 outlet first by Yahoo, 6d ago · read ↗
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Talarico holds rally in Austin on final day of campaigning
Talarico held a rally in Austin on the eve of the election, making a final push for voter support. The rally came as both Talarico and Paxton wrapped up their campaigns with final events.
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Talarico rallies hundreds in Houston ahead of Election Day
James Talarico held a rally in Houston drawing hundreds of supporters just days before the election. The Houston rally was part of his continued push to mobilize Democratic voters.
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1 outlet first by KHOU, 7d ago · read ↗
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- 2 days quiet
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Talarico continues rallying in Dallas as race heats up
Talarico supporters held a rally in Dallas as the Texas Senate race entered its final days. The event came days after the Lubbock dueling rallies and reflected ongoing Democratic momentum in urban areas.
“Yeah, but remember Kamala Harris with packed auditoriums and how excited we were? And look what happened.”
— cnunespdx, Reddit commenter · source -
first by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, 9d ago
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Who spends hrs. Attending rallys and then skip the 30 min. to vote. "Smells like orc mischief to me" - Ent Treebeard voice
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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Yeah, but remember Kamala Harris with packed auditoriums and how excited we were? And look what happened.
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Crowd size estimates spark debate over rally attendance
Newsweek and other outlets reported conflicting attendance figures for the Lubbock dueling rallies. Talarico claimed 4,000 attendees at his rally, though the Fiesta Center's ballroom capacity was listed at 2,600 with plans to stretch to 3,000. Trump's rally at the Civic Center was estimated at around 4,000, with the venue's maximum capacity at 4,914.
“Lubbock County voted for President Trump by 40 points. Tonight 4,000 people showed up at our rally. Texans are ready for change.”
— James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate · source -
first by Newsweek, 11d ago
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Wow that’s a cool comparison. Yet Donald still gets a shit ton of support and votes.
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Trump and Talarico hold dueling rallies in Lubbock
President Trump and Democrat James Talarico held competing rallies in deep-red Lubbock on the same day. Trump appeared at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center to support Republican Ken Paxton, while Talarico held a rally across town at the Fiesta Center. Both events drew thousands of supporters.
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2 outlets first by Texas Tribune, 11d ago · also Fox News · read ↗
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first by The Texas Tribune, 11d ago
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