Texas · 2026

U.S. Senate

General election · November 3, 2026

Election race overview

Candidates

Candidate Overview

Republican

Ken Paxton

Democratic

James Talarico

Campaign Finance

Finance Overview

Republican

Ken Paxton

Receipts

$9,248,699

Disbursements

$7,492,915

Cash on Hand

$1,755,294

Debts Owed

Coverage: April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

Democratic

James Talarico

Receipts

$68,555,930

Disbursements

$47,007,775

Cash on Hand

$21,548,155

Debts Owed

Coverage: September 8, 2025 – June 30, 2026

Race Ratings

1 rating

Cook Political Report

Toss Up

Updated August 20, 2026

[216]

Recent Polling

2 polls

Emerson College Polling

LVn=1,000

August 9, 2026 – August 10, 2026

Ken Paxton47%

James Talarico46%

Margin of error: ±3 points

[82]

Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center

LVn=1,200

July 27, 2026 – July 30, 2026

Ken Paxton45%

James Talarico47%

Margin of error: ±2.83 points

Candidate Positions

Issue

Immigration & Border Security

Ken Paxton

Supports stronger border enforcement and deportation of people in the United States illegally.

[84]

James Talarico

Supports enforcement against illegal immigration, cartels and human trafficking while maintaining legal immigration pathways.

[85]

Issue

Economy & Cost of Living

Ken Paxton

Supports tax cuts, reduced federal spending and regulation, policies intended to lower energy costs, and measures to support American manufacturing and job creation.

[86]

James Talarico

Supports higher taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations, expanded tax credits for working families, a $15 federal minimum wage, measures intended to lower major household costs, and repeal of Trump administration tariffs.

[87]

Issue

Health Care

Ken Paxton

Supports increased transparency and accountability in food and health-care systems and policies aimed at challenging pharmaceutical and food-industry practices.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports allowing Americans of any age to join Medicare, lowering prescription drug costs, protecting and expanding ACA coverage, reforming prior authorization and supporting rural hospitals.

[122]

Issue

Abortion & Reproductive Policy

Ken Paxton

Opposes abortion and states that he would defend protections for unborn life.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports federal legislation codifying Roe v. Wade and protecting access to contraception and IVF.

[123]

Issue

Taxes & Government Spending

Ken Paxton

Supports cutting federal taxes and reducing federal spending, including spending he characterizes as wasteful.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports higher taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations while cutting taxes for working families and small businesses.

[87]

Issue

Crime & Public Safety

Ken Paxton

Emphasizes protecting Second Amendment gun rights. His current campaign issues page provides less detail on broader criminal-justice policy.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports funding law enforcement and crime-prevention services, universal background checks and other gun-safety measures, victim services and expanded rehabilitation and reentry programs.

[124]

Issue

Energy & Environment

Ken Paxton

Supports reducing federal regulations affecting energy companies and policies intended to lower energy costs.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports expanding energy production across oil, gas and renewable sources, renewable-energy incentives, grid investment, stronger air and water protections and climate-disaster preparedness.

[125]

Issue

Foreign Policy & National Security

Ken Paxton

Supports an America First foreign policy emphasizing U.S. interests, military strength and limiting what his campaign characterizes as excessive spending abroad.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports cooperation with NATO and other allies, diplomacy and international development, Ukrainian independence and a negotiated two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution.

[126]

Issue

Government, Elections & Democracy

Ken Paxton

Campaigns on ending what he describes as the weaponization of government and reducing establishment influence in Washington; his current issues page does not provide a detailed election-reform platform.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports banning super PACs and corporate PACs, banning partisan gerrymandering and increasing transparency and accountability across the federal government.

[127]

Issue

Education

Ken Paxton

Emphasizes parental rights and opposition to transgender-related policies and content in schools; his current campaign issues page does not provide a broader federal education platform.

[121]

James Talarico

Supports greater investment in public schools and teacher development, universal pre-K, special-education protections, career and technical education and opposition to private-school vouchers.

[215]

Legal Proceedings

Formal legal proceedings and outcomes involving candidates.

Ken Paxtoncriminal-casedismissed

Texas securities fraud criminal case

Filed: July 28, 2015Resolved: June 18, 2025Scope: personal

Paxton was indicted in 2015 on three felony counts involving securities transactions, including two securities-fraud counts and a registration-related charge.

Outcome

Paxton entered a pretrial agreement in 2024 requiring restitution, community service and legal-ethics education without admitting guilt. The charges were later dismissed after he completed the agreement.

[148][149]

Ken Paxtoncivil-judgmentjudgment-entered

Texas Attorney General whistleblower judgment

Resolved: July 3, 2025Scope: official-capacity

A Texas district court entered a judgment of approximately $6.6 million against the Office of the Attorney General in a whistleblower-retaliation lawsuit brought by former senior employees.

Outcome

The court found that the Attorney General's Office violated the Texas Whistleblower Act. Paxton later dropped the office's appeal.

[150][151][152]

Ethics & Accountability

Formal ethics proceedings and reviews involving candidates.

Ken PaxtonImpeachmentResolved

Texas House impeachment and Senate trial

Texas LegislatureOpened: May 27, 2023Resolved: September 16, 2023

The Texas House of Representatives adopted 20 articles of impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton in May 2023.

Outcome

The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on all 16 articles considered at trial. The remaining four articles were dismissed.

Impeachment constituted formal charges and did not itself establish that the allegations were true.

[213][214]

Ken PaxtonProfessional DisciplineResolved

State Bar disciplinary proceeding over 2020 election lawsuit

State Bar of Texas Commission for Lawyer DisciplineResolved: August 19, 2026

The State Bar of Texas Commission for Lawyer Discipline pursued a professional-discipline case against Ken Paxton concerning alleged misrepresentations in litigation challenging the 2020 presidential election results.

Outcome

The Commission for Lawyer Discipline nonsuited its disciplinary lawsuit. The Texas Supreme Court later dismissed Paxton's pending petition for review as moot.

The proceeding concerned professional discipline and did not result in a disciplinary finding against Paxton.

[215]