“In the Ferrari or Jaguar, switchin’ four lanes. With the top down screamin’ out, ‘money ain’t a thang.’” — I suspect that classic Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri track offers an accurate summation of the vibes at Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico’s headquarters these days, after his campaign announced its quarterly fundraising numbers on Wednesday.
Talarico’s camp reported raising $27 million in the first three months of the year, a whopping total that speaks to the high profile he has enjoyed as the Texas state senator’s progressive campaign for U.S. Senate has garnered national attention.
According to a press statement from Team Talarico:
Since launching in September, James’ campaign has now raised a total of over $40 million, receiving more than 970,000 donations from a staggering 540,000+ individual contributors — with donations from 246 of Texas’ 254 counties and zero dollars from corporate PACs. Since primary day, James has raised over $10 million.
Even if the news is promising, some context is in order. It is not uncommon for Texas Democratic candidates, especially those with large national profiles, to raise oodles of money. And fundraising, in and of itself, is no guarantee of victory. Just ask Beto O’Rourke, the Texas Democrat who notched a historic $38 million fundraising quarter in 2018 during his ultimately failed bid to oust GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC
