The Brief

Texas U.S. Senate candidates Ken Paxton and James Talarico are campaigning in Fort Worth on Tuesday to pitch to local voters ahead of November.

Democrat Talarico has raised around $70 million primarily through small-dollar, nationwide donors, while Republican Paxton has raised $9 million mostly from Texas donors and joint committees.

Both candidates have agreed to a general election debate, though a date has not yet been set.

FORT WORTH, Texas – The two candidates battling for Texas’ United States Senate seat will be in Fort Worth on Tuesday.

Ken Paxton and James Talarico will make their pitches to North Texas voters before the November election.

Fundraising Efforts

What we know

In one of the most expensive races in the nation, all eyes are on Talarico’s fundraising. The Democratic nominee has reportedly raised more than any Texas candidate has in the general election in the past decade.

According to filings from the Federal Election Commission, he has raised around $70 million. That’s compared to Paxton’s $9 million.

Dig deeper

The filings show that the two candidates are getting their donations in very different ways.

Much of Paxton’s campaign funds come from joint fundraising committees, which allow candidates to raise money alongside other candidates. The majority of that comes from large donors.

The majority of Talarico’s campaign dollars have come from small donor fundraising. A large number of people have contributed less than $200.

The filings also show that less than half of Talarico’s campaign funds are from Texas. He’s received more than $3.5 million, or about 5% of his total funds, from California. Meanwhile, about 73% of Paxton’s funds are from Texas donors.

What’s next

Both candidates are hoping their financial and voter support will take off in North Texas.

Paxton plans to hold a news conference with special guests on Tuesday morning in Fort Worth. No details about the topic of his news conference were released.

Talarico will also be in Fort Worth touring local child centers. He’s expected to greet students and faculty to highlight the difficulties with affordable childcare.

Both have agreed to a debate ahead of the November election, but those plans are still in the works.

The Source

The information in this story comes from candidate news releases and campaign finance reports.