{"id":475120,"date":"2026-10-24T04:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T04:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/475120\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T04:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T04:06:12","slug":"democrat-james-talarico-targets-elon-musk-at-rally-texas-is-not-for-sale-us-midterm-elections-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/475120\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrat James Talarico targets Elon Musk at rally: \u2018Texas is not for sale\u2019 | US midterm elections 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, has taken aim at Elon Musk<\/a>, warning that the tech mogul is trying to buy political influence and declaring: \u201cTexas is not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talarico held a campaign rally<\/a> on Friday at the University of Texas at Austin, packing an auditorium at his alma mater with hundreds of students and other supporters, who cheered, whooped and waved campaign signs.<\/p>\n

The Presbyterian seminarian\u2019s insurgent run against Texas attorney general Ken Paxton<\/a> \u2013 a staunch ally of Donald Trump \u2013 has become one of the most closely watched races in next month\u2019s midterm elections to decide control of Congress. Democrats are seeking their first statewide win since 1994.<\/p>\n

Talarico, 37, struck his usual upbeat message on Friday but also pulled no punches in denouncing Paxton \u2013 who was impeached by his own party over corruption accusations and had a very public divorce \u2013 as the most corrupt politician in the state\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a legislative record; Ken Paxton has a criminal record,\u201d said Talarico, a state representative, wearing a dark blue jacket, white open collar shirt and blue jeans. \u201cThis election is about whether you want a senator who puts money in your pocket or who puts money in their own. This election is about whether you want a senator who is for Texas<\/a> or for himself. This election is about whether you want senator who serves you or serves their billionaire mega donors.\u201d<\/p>\n

People hold signs supporting James Talarico at a rally in Temple, Texas on Friday. Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Paxton, he continued, has the ultimate mega donor<\/a>. \u201cElon Musk is trying to buy the Senate seat. We just found out that the richest man in the world is almost single-handedly bankrolling this effort to install Ken Paxton in the US Senate and stop the movement that we are building in our state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all likelihood, if you\u2019ve seen an attack ad on your screens, that was Elon. If you\u2019ve gotten lies in your mailbox, that was Elon. If you received a text message saying scary things about me with scary black and white photos, that was Elon too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking against the backdrop of a giant Texan state flag and 40 young supporters holding \u201cTalarico\u201d signs, the Democrat said that, where his movement is funded by 1.3 million individuals, Paxton is funded by \u201cone dude\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a state where data centres have become an incendiary issue, Talarico said: \u201cElon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas. But on November 3rd, we are going to deliver a crystal clear message to the world\u2019s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Musk, who lives in Texas and has relocated SpaceX, Tesla, X and other businesses there, has contributed $158m to the Senate Leadership Fund, which in turn transferred the same amount to Texas PAC, a Republican super PAC supporting Paxton, according to federal filings.<\/p>\n

Talarico has offset the outside-spending disadvantage with grassroots fundraising. His campaign says it raised $64m from July through September, more than triple Paxton\u2019s total, with 97% of donations under $100 each.<\/p>\n

Talarico told the crowd that super PACs and \u201cbillionaire mega-donors\u201d are spending $200m in the most expensive Senate race in US history to defeat his grassroots campaign. \u201cBig money is powerful, but it is nothing compared to people power,\u201d he insisted, invoking biblical imagery comparing his supporters to \u201cthe slingshot\u201d that David used to defeat Goliath<\/p>\n

James Talarico addresses supporters at a campaign rally in Temple, Texas. Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Talarico\u2019s rally capped a turbulent month in what has emerged as America\u2019s biggest battleground state. Talarico fell ill with the flu at the end of September and was not seen in public for nine days.<\/p>\n

At a rally in San Antonio, Texas, Donald Trump claimed without evidence that \u201cTala-freako\u201d, as he nicknames the Democrat, is vegan and had fallen ill because he tried eating meat for political purposes. That quickly metastasised into an online rumour that Talarico had checked into a mental health facility in Ohio. It was comprehensively debunked.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal published a video showing Paxton celebrating New Year\u2019s Eve in Dubai with two US fugitives, Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, who were indicted in Illinois on healthcare-fraud charges. Ahmed donated $190,000 to Paxton, including $25,000 after his indictment.<\/p>\n

Back on the campaign trail, Talarico set out on a \u201cClear Eyes, Full Hearts\u201d tour of the state. He held a CNN town hall<\/a> with sceptical Republicans and independent voters.<\/p>\n

Paxton, meanwhile, launched an 18-day bus tour of Texas. His message was aimed at conservative voters with the slogan \u201cCome and Take It\u201d, an attack on what he called the far left. Republicans sought to tie Talarico with positions on transgender issues that have proved potent in conservative campaigning.<\/p>\n

The campaign entered its final stretch with the Democrat holding a narrow polling advantage. The RealClearPolitics average for polls conducted from 6 to 19 October put Talarico ahead by 1.8 percentage points. An Emerson College Polling\/ Nexstar Media survey released on Thursday<\/a> found that 48% of voters support Talarico while 46% favour Paxton.<\/p>\n

Early voting began on 19 October, giving both campaigns an immediate test of their ability to mobilise supporters. Talarico voted earlier on Friday.<\/p>\n

Supporters at Friday\u2019s rally expressed growing frustration with incumbent Republican officials such as Paxton along with optimism that Talarico\u2019s message could signal a new political era for the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n

James Talarico greets supporters during a campaign rally. Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Alina Anil, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas, who had already cast her ballot, said she attended the event to see Talarico in person and demonstrate her support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been red for a long time and nothing has really come out of it,\u201d Anil said. \u201cAs a student, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s been a lot of changes in Texas. We need some change and James Talarico seems promising. He was a teacher before, so I have faith in that and I have faith in him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dakota Walker, 31, a pediatric physical therapist, arrived wearing a custom T-shirt reading \u201cTalafrico: Talarico refreshing for Texas\u201d, in the style of the Topo-Chico brand of sparkling mineral water.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s not to like about him, what\u2019s not to love about him, honestly?\u201d Walker said. \u201cHe has morals, he has values, he\u2019s an overall good human being and I think we need a drastic change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to spend so much of my time fighting for my kids, making sure that they get what they need when a family with a child with a disability or different abilities shouldn\u2019t have to do that. I know we need healthcare reform and he is very big on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Democrats<\/a> have had their hopes dashed before, notably when former congressman Beto O\u2019Rourke lost a race to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 by less than 3 percentage points.<\/p>\n

Asked what a Democratic statewide victory would mean, Walker replied: \u201cOh man, I\u2019ll probably cry, honestly. We need a lot of change and I feel like it\u2019s time for a new era.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick Pearson, 46, an assistive technology professional, said he wanted to back Talarico because of his commitment to policy change. \u201cFrom everything I\u2019ve read about him and heard, I think he sounds really awesome,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cHe\u2019s actually trying to make a change and has a very positive message.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, has taken aim at Elon Musk, warning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-475120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/475121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=475120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}