No Texas ZIP code has produced more itemized money in the Senate race than 75229 in northwest Dallas, where donors have overwhelmingly backed Republican Ken Paxton.
Democrat James Talarico, however, has built a broader fundraising network, leading Paxton in about three-quarters of the more than 1,400 Texas ZIP codes that produced itemized donations from in the first half of the year.
An analysis of Federal Election Commission records by The Dallas Morning News revealed a statewide map that illustrates two different fundraising coalitions.
Paxton’s biggest financial support comes from a relatively small number of affluent Republican strongholds, while Talarico’s itemized donations are spread across a much broader swath of Texas.
Paxton’s biggest fundraising haul came from ZIP code 75229, along Royal Lane in northwest Dallas, which includes part of Preston Hollow. Residents there contributed about $536,000 through June to Paxton, the attorney general, and committees supporting him. Talarico raised about $110,000 there.
Other North Texas pockets of strong support for Paxton included the Park Cities, around DFW International Airport, around Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Colleyville, Southlake and Midlothian.
The strongest ZIP code for Talarico, a state representative from Austin, was 78703, an area along the Colorado River in Austin, an area with multiple affluent neighborhoods.
He’s received more than $400,000 from residents of that ZIP code.
His campaign and affiliated committees outraised Paxton in roughly 75% of the Texas ZIP codes that produced itemized donations.
The News’ analysis was based only on itemized contributions, meaning those reported with information such as the donor’s name and address. The FEC generally requires those details once a donor’s total contributions exceed $200 during an election cycle.
That disclosure rule means The News analysis cannot determine the origin of all the candidates’ money.
Because smaller donations aren’t tied to publicly disclosed names and addresses, the analysis could not determine the ZIP codes for all of the candidates’ fundraising
Through June, Talarico received $28.6 million in unitemized contributions whose donors’ locations were not disclosed. Paxton received about $1.1 million in unitemized contributions.
Explore the fundraising patterns across Texas in the map below: