Democrat James Talarico has raised more than $70 million during his campaign, according to FEC filings. Credit: Instagram/@thedemocrats

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s got more bad news this week on the fundraising front.

The so-called “Stop Talarico PAC,” a political action committee created by GOP operatives to thwart Paxton’s Democratic rival in the race for Texas’ contested U.S. Senate seat, told the Federal Election Commission it raised a whopping zero dollars during its first fiscal quarter of operation.

The discouraging report for Paxton comes after his opponent, Texas Rep. James Talarico, reported that his campaign had raised $30 million in the second quarter of 2026, bringing his total fundraising haul to $70 million.​

Meanwhile, Paxton’s campaign reported raising just $9 million during the second quarter of 2026.

That’s a 3-to-1 ratio for Team Talarico.

The fundraising gap comes as Paxton faces increasing scrutiny by GOP operatives and politicians, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, for blunders including an ill-timed trip to England over the July Fourth weekend with his alleged mistress. A recent joint Texas Tribune and ProPublica investigation also suggested Paxton may have committed voter fraud.

Fresh off his European holiday, Paxton grabbed more negative headlines this week after he started off a campaign rally in the Rio Grande Valley talking about “family” and “faith.”

The irony wasn’t lost on social media users, who were quick to remind Paxton that he’s in the process of getting a divorce from his wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, who is separating from him on “biblical grounds” after at least two alleged affairs, including one with a self-proclaimed Christian influencer.

Meanwhile, Talarico has been busy touring the Texas border to drum up more support. And, on Thursday, the Democrat appeared on MS Now’s Morning Joe TV program, where he challenged Paxton to three televised debates.

“Ken Paxton’s billionaire handlers don’t let him answer questions in public,” Talarico said. “He hasn’t appeared on a debate stage in more than a decade.”

In response, Paxton’s campaign said he would debate the former San Antonio public school teacher, but didn’t specify details.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...