Texas Democrat casts himself as David against Elon Musk’s $168 million Goliath in Senate showdown

At a rally in San Marcos on Thursday, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico compared the Texas campaign to David facing Goliath, casting supporters as the slingshot. Outside spending favoring Republican rival Ken Paxton tops $158 million. Filings released that day show Elon Musk's money took two routes: $158 million through the Senate Leadership Fund to Texas PAC, Paxton's main backer, and $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, according to The Independent.

The race matters because it will help decide Senate control for the last two years of President Donald Trump's term, and Texas hasn't sent a Democrat to statewide office in over 30 years. Dismissed at first, Talarico is now seen as a serious contender, partly because voters are wary of Paxton over corruption questions, including an impeachment by Republican legislators that ended in acquittal. Talarico has also out-raised Paxton in direct donations, and Trump has visited Texas repeatedly to campaign for Paxton.

Talarico, a seminarian, stresses affordability and keeps national Democrats at a distance; Bernie Sanders will campaign in Texas this month without joining Talarico on stage.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →